Reach out!
by jilnachtaugen
Summary: What if Deku and Kacchan came from a crappy neighborhood? After high school, they were set to reach their goals. Five years later, Izuku is a therapist and loves his job. But he then gets a call from Kastuki's mom, begging him to help her son who she assures is in trouble. Izuku's good heart takes over, and he goes to find his past tormentor in a shady district. Normal!AU
1. Nitro

**Hi guys! So I recently became a big fan of the series. And I always thought it'd be curious to see Kacchan and Deku in a normal world. So there you have it.**

 **Rated M for Kacchan's foul mouth and delicate subject of drug abuse. No lemons.**

* * *

'It's strange.' Thought Izuku Midorya, as he stood in the middle of the crowd, staring at the stage with everyone. 'It's like this entire place is moved by his voice.'

This place called HELLGATE was in the basement of a rundown building in which unofficial (and clearly illegal) concerts took place. Mostly hard rock and metal. The stuff that made students forget about their worries and the stress of there studies. There was alcohol and food, and of course, it wasn't uncommon to find troublemaking underaged teenagers that sneaked in. At first, you'd think it was just that : a place where people could party hard and get wasted. But it was so much more than that. The guys who ran the place knew that very well. But right now that wasn't important. The important thing was the show. The drummer, the bassist, the guitarist and the keyboardist were all on fire, and their music was making the whole building shake. The crowd was wild, and Izuku had trouble keeping himself from being pushed around by the wave of people that were desperately trying to get closer to the stage. But Izuku wasn't in the same mood as the people here. Just as them though, his eyes were mostly on the lead singer of the group : Katsuki Bakugo. That guy was a legend in the world of underground music. He was an exceptional musician and could play any instrument he was given. No one could rearrange a song like him, his covers were making old songs come back to life in a new light. He was so explosive on stage that it earned him the nickname Nitro. In short, Katsuki was talented. Izuku had always used the word amazing to describe him. Always? Indeed. Because these two young man had grown up together in the same crappy neighborhood. They'd been together through elementary, middle and high school. Childhood friends, one could say. Although, Izuku always wondered if Katsuki didn't consider him more of a lapdog and a punching bag rather than a companion. But Izuku's good nature always stopped him from trying to get back at him. On the contrary, he always sticked close to him. That guy's amazingness was like a brilliant light to the weak butterfly that he was. After graduating from high school, they both went their separate ways. And now four years later, Izuku was proud of who he had become. He had gotten his life together by working harder than anyone else. He became a councilor and therapist in a rehab center, he had a beautiful girlfriend who worked as a nurse in the medical branch of the same center... His job wasn't paying much better than a teacher's salary, but that didn't matter to him. He was doing what he'd always wanted to do : help kids that came from his kind of harsh neighborhood to get their life back together. So what in the world was he doing back here? A big part of his job was to observe and pay attention to details which was actually is strongest skill. And for someone who'd been called a talentless looser all his life (mostly by Katsuki actually), he was glad he had his eyes and his brain.

Katsuki was singing a cover of Starset's point of no return, probably his own. The original song wasn't that impressive, but he was making it sound like the new era of music was about to be born. There was so much passion in his voice and in all his movements. Izuku was this close to letting the entrancing music get to him. But the memory of the phone call he got earlier in the day kept him from loosing himself in the spirit of the evening.

" _Izuku? Hello, it's been a long time. I don't know if you remember. I'm Katsuki's mother..."_

" _Of course I remember Mrs. Bakugo. How can I help you?"_

" _I'm sorry to call out of the blue like this after so many years. But..." She started sobbing on the other side of the line. "I don't know who else to turn to..."_

" _Calm down, Mrs Bakugo." He told her. "What's the matter?"_

" _It's about Katsuki... I think he's in trouble."_

A mother's instinct is rarely wrong when it comes to her children's well-being. And if someone with an explosive temper like Mitsuki Bakugo was crying while asking him for help, it meant that there really was trouble. Truth be told, Izuku had never set foot in this part of town, but the people who came from here to the center were the hardest to get to. This place was rotten. The true question however was how the hell had Katsuki ended up here. When they were in the last year of high school, he was the boasting about how he was going to make it big out there with his music. And truth be told, he definitely had the skills and the stubbornness to become a pro and have a real career in the music industry. So what the hell was he doing here in this rundown place? Why was he remaining a legend of the underground instead of making it big out there like he'd always wanted?

At the end of the song, people shouted and whistled at the band. Katsuki wiped the sweat off his face and emptied a water bottle before exiting the stage followed by the rest of the group. Izuku turned around and did his best to make his way to the exit. Once outside, under the pitch black sky he looked for the alley that led to the back entrance. When found, he entered. It smelled awful, a mixture of vomit, piss, smoke and trash. Izuku was about to reach the end when he heard footsteps behind him and turned around.

"You're dressed a little too pretty for this part of town." Said one of two guys that were following him.

Izuku was indeed still wearing his clothes from work, which was basically a suit without a vest. 'Crap!' He internally cursed. 'Trouble already.'

"Hey, I'm not looking for trouble..." He begun raising his arms.

"Neither are we." Interrupted the guy. "Just give us your cash and you can leave without a scratch."

"Sorry but I really don't have any money on me..." He said with an apologetic grin, and he turned over his empty pockets. "See?"

The two stalkers seemed disappointed. "Then get the fuck out of here. We don't want you on our turf."

"Sorry, I can't leave. There's someone I have to see... humpf!"

That answer earned him a punch to the gut. His breath cut off, the green haired fell on all four and coughed loudly as he trued to regain it. But another kick to the ribs made him cry in pain.

"Who the fuck d'you think you are, nerd face?" Said the one stepping on his head. "When we say get the hell out, you get out!"

"I...I can't ..." Stubbornly replied Izuku, trying to fight the pain. It'd been years since he'd gotten mugged like this. He thought he grown used to it, but it still hurt like hell. Again, another kick in the ribs made him almost puke.

"You stupid idiot!" Said one of them raising his fist this time. But when he was about to punch his victim, a strong grip seized his arm and stopped him in his movement.

"What the hell?" Exclaimed the guy, but he froze when he saw the shape of the person behind him. "Shit! It's you..."

A solid left hook to the face and a broken nose made the assailant, grunt in pain, and fall to the ground. Izuku only heard the sound of the two guys grunting painfully as he was trying to catch his breath while holding himself up with his elbows.

"I told you two assholes what would happened if you showed your faces here again!" Growled a familiar voice. "Fuck off!"

Izuku looked up just in time to see his two assailants running (more like dragging themselves) out of the alley. He turned his head and ended up face to face with a pair of black rangers.

"Hey, you still alive down there?" Asked the young man, who's face was still in the dark. But no way in hell could that messy hair belong to anyone other than him. The alley was dark and so they couldn't discern each other's faces. When was the last time they'd been face to face like that? "I've never seen someone as scrawny as you in my life. Walking alone around this part of town is like asking to get a beating. Are you an idiot or what?"

That comment made Izuku chuckle. "Wow. I have to say, I never would've expected you to say something like that, Kacchan."

"Huh? What the … "

Izuku pulled himself up to his feet and smiled at his former classmate. Katsuki's eyes widened in surprise. "Deku? Is that you?"

"Hi Kacchan. Long time no see."

"Well, I'll be damned..." Said the singer eying him from head to toes. "Never thought I'd see your nerdy face again."

'Somehow I doubt that made you sad.' Thought Izuku sweat-dropping. "Yeah, well I never thought I'd find you in a place like that."

"What's that suppose to mean, you damn nerd?" Growled the red-eyed young man.

Izuku flinched when he saw the nasty glare Katsuki was throwing him. Man, did this remind him of high school. Anytime he'd say something the hot-head considered out of line, he ended up getting a beating or verbal abuse. Of course, Izuku had grown since then, but it seemed that his old cowering reflexes were still present in his system. But he somehow smiled at the nostalgia. Instead of waiting for his former classmate to answer, Katsuki sat on top of a metal trashcan and took a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket. He put one in his mouth and looked up at Izuku.

"D'you smoke?"

"No, thanks." Replied the green-haired lad politely. 'That's new.'

Katsuki had taken off his jacket and was only wearing a dusty orange colored tank top. He had a chain with army tags dangling from it around the neck. There were bags under his eyes, he clearly didn't sleep well. He lit his cigarette and looked at the sky before blowing the smoke out of his lungs. The shorter boy was relieved when he smelled the scent of regular tobacco.

"So, you gonna tell me what you're doing here?" Asked the smoker.

"Well …" Izuku stayed quiet and thought for a minute. Katsuki was unlikely to tolerate the fact that his mother had called an old childhood friend who also happened to be a therapist to help him. It was better to keep it hidden for now. Besides, he didn't even know what was wrong with the singer yet. Maybe there was nothing to worry about. "Well, I heard about this place and I wanted to check it out. But I gotta say, I didn't expect to see you here Kacchan. Who would've thought? Actually, now that I think about it, it's not that hard to imagine. You were amazing back there. You're even better than back in high school."

Katsuki didn't reply and just eyed his former companion for a long time before answering. "Looks like you didn't do too bad. Got a job?"

"Yeah, actually. I work in a rehab center."

"You're a therapist?" Asked Katsuki, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah."

Izuku expected him to laugh at him and make some kind of crushing remark with that foul-mouth and sharp tongue of his, but he did nothing of the sort. Instead, he only brought his cigarette to his mouth again.

"Suits a nerd like you, I guess." He commented. A small laughter still escaped his lips.

"What's so funny?" Asked Izuku, curious.

"Just remembering the wimpy little nerd from grade school that wanted to be a hero." The blondie said grinning at his shorter friend. "You haven't changed much."

Izuku smiled. "Well, believe it or not, I'm not as defenseless as I used to be."

"Says the guy who just got his ass handed to him by a couple of dumb pickpockets. HA! I'd like to see that."

"I said believe it or not." Replied the green-haired lad, still smiling.

This time Katsuki grinned genuinely, just like back in high school when he's start a fight with other people. Which was pretty much every day. "Yeah, wanna take me on to see?"

"No thanks." He replied taking a careful step back. "I'm good. I've had enough for one evening."

The singer's smile disappeared and he appeared disappointed. "Wow. Even in school you had more bite than that."

"Well, nothing stops you from giving me a beating if that's what you want."

"Careful Deku. I just might if you keep pissing me off." Threatened the smoker. "That's another thing that hasn't changed about you : you're still annoying as hell."

"I guess bad habits die hard, don't they Kacchan?"

"Why you damn nerd..." Started the taller boy, the anger finally showing.

"Anyways, I didn't come here to fight with you Kacchan." Said Izuku, suddenly serious. "The real question is what the hell are you doing here?"

"Huh? What do you mean? I work here."

"I heard you earlier. Your music, your songs... they're amazing. I thought nothing could beat what you did in high school but the concert tonight was so much better than anything I heard you do before. Four years ago, you were headed for college and to take your music out there. To become this generations next big star. So why are you here? Playing in this rundown place, instead of becoming a legend in the real world?"

"Mind your own business, Deku." Snapped Katsuki.

His red eyes lacked that explosive fire they always had whenever the slightest thing would contradict him. Izuku was sure of it now. There was something wrong with him. But getting to him would take time. It was not a problem that could be fixed in a day.

"I see. Well, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He looked at his watch. "It's getting late. I should get going. Bye Kacchan."

Katsuki didn't answer, instead just looked at him walk away. When Izuku finally disappeared from his sight, the red-eyed boy finished his cigarette while looking at the sky. As always, the same shitty weather was covering it. Seeing the moon or the stars was rare around here. It's not like he cared either way. For the first time in a while, he felt a little lonely. The sound of the door opening pulled him out of his thoughts.

"There you are Nitro." Said the newcomer. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Why?" Replied the singer harshly.

He didn't like this guy. Sure. He gave him a job and payed him pretty good so he was technically his boss. But there was something about him that creeped him out. His voice for starters. He sounded like he smoked five packs an hour. But Katsuki had never seen him light a single cigarette, not even once. And the way he talked made him sound a bad guy in a horror movie.

"I just wanted to see if you wanted to join us for a little after-party."

"No." Immediately shot down Katsuki. "I'm beat. I'm gonna go hit the pillows."

"Oh well, too bad." Replied the man who didn't seem disappointed in the least. "But you might want to consider getting to know the guys here. You do work with us."

"I play my music and you pay me, that's the only thing I give a crap about." He snapped, before stomping on his cigarette.

A cold hand grabbed his shoulder, making him perk up a little. "I'm just worried about you, with you being alone all the time... I'm just looking out for you."

With a violent shoulder movement, Katsuki shoved his hand away. "I don't need anything from you other than your cash. I'm going home." He said as he started walking away.

"Oh well. If you ever change your mind, let me know."

The singer quickly exited the alley and headed for his apartment. He really hated that guy's guts. Tomura Shigaraki was nothing but a scheming piece of crap and it was impossible to know what he was thinking in that messed up head of his.

* * *

A couple of days later, after another show, Katsuki went out the back alley again to smoke a couple of cigarettes. His routine was pretty simple : he sang at HELLGATE Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and the rest of the time when he wasn't at his day job, getting into fights or writing his covers, he hung out around town with his earplugs in search of inspiration. Today was no different. Did he see anyone? No, why would he? The people he worked with were assholes and he hated their guts. Tomura was the worst of all. All this crap about caring about him was just to make sure he stayed and earned this guy money. What a joke. How'd he end up being some fucker's tool like that? It didn't matter. Not anymore. He was still sweating from the concert so he took off his jacket. As he lit his cigarette, he failed to notice the scrawny figure getting closer.

"Hi Kacchan." Exclaimed a joyous voice, making the singer look up.

"You again?"

"Well, I found an old schoolmate and I thought we'd catch up." Said Izuku, before looking through the plastic bag he was carrying. "Want one?" He asked taking out a can of beer.

Without waiting for an answer, the green-haired lad tossed the can at the blond who caught it. Izuku then took place on a trashcan. The smell was going to need some getting used to. He opened his own and started drinking. Katsuki stared at him for a while before looking at the can.

"Drink up." Said Izuku. "Don't be scared. I didn't spit in it if that's what your wondering."

"I know that you damn nerd! I'm not scared." He growled back.

Katsuki opened his can and took a sip. It was a pretty good beer. Not the kind you found around this part of town. He'd probably brought it with him from wherever he was living now. Katsuki observed him for a moment. He was nicely dressed, like an office worker, with a tie and clean shirt. And he looked as happy-go-lucky as when he used to talk about being a hero when they were kids.

"Guess you did something with your life, didn't you Deku?" He muttered.

"Hm? Did you say something Kacchan?"

"No." He simply replied.

"So tell me, what happened after high school."

"You're still going on about that?"

"Come on. I'm just trying to catch up." Replied Izuku. "But if you don't want to, we can talk about something else. Like your music. That Nickleback cover was pretty cool. You're really gifted. How long did it take you to make it?"

Katsuki sighed. It looked like the nerd wasn't going to stop talking anytime soon. "Dunno. A week, maybe."

"Just a week? You're fast."

"It's not that hard."

Izuku's eyebrows came a little closer together. Indeed, Katsuki had changed a lot. His boasting self was gone. "For a genius like you maybe."

A nasty grin appeared on the blondie's face. "Guess it's gotta look pretty hard for a tone deaf reject like you. You used to lock yourself up hours in the music room to try and learn the guitar by yourself. Even after a year, you couldn't even play three notes without messing it up!" He laughed out loud.

"That was uncalled for." Retorted Izuku, slightly vexed. "Your personality is as rotten as ever. I'll have you know I discovered something interesting."

"Yeah, like what?" Said Katsuki.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Replied Izuku, giving him a cocky grin. "You might get jealous..."

"ME? JEALOUS OF A GOOD FOR NOTHING LIKE YOU? HA!"

"Did you know that there are actually two types of acoustic memory?" Asked the freckled face. "There's the auditory one. It's the memory that remembers the notes and can differentiate different pitches of music. It's usually the one most active in song writers and singers. And the second one is the rhythmic memory. That one recalls the beat and rhythm. It's most powerful for drummers."

"And?"

"And turns out my rhythmic memory is pretty good." Said Izuku, proudly. "And I'm probably a better drummer than you'll ever be, Kacchan."

"I'd like to see that, you looser!" Growled the blond.

"But you've got nothing to envy me for. Both of your acoustic memories are strong." Explained Izuku. "That's what makes you an amazing musician. You've got everything."

That last comment earned him the surprised yet slightly sad stare of his former classmate. "You're an idiot if you think that." Said Katsuki before bringing his cigarette back to his lips.

"But that was your dream Kacchan." Asked his friend. "You were set to become a great singer. What happened to you?"

"Drop it, Deku."

"I'm just trying to understand..."

"Lay off!" He snapped, clenching his teeth to contain the anger.

"Are you satisfy with how things are now?"

"DOES THIS LOOK LIKE THE FACE OF SOMEONE WHO'S LIVING THE HIGHLIFE TO YOU?!" Shouted the red-eyed lad, almost snarling like an angry dog. But he immediately regretted saying that. Katsuki wasn't only talented in the department of music. He was an extremely clever person, and despite his bad boy/bully attitude, he always had top grades. Always a step ahead of everyone. He could have applied to any university and get any scholarship he wanted. He could have become anything. And he still could! The real question was, what was holding him back?

"Forget what I said." Said Katsuki, before finishing the last drops of his beer. He stood up and tossed his can in a nearby trash before heading towards the door.

"I'm sorry." Apologized Izuku. "I didn't mean to upset you. I'll head home now."

The green-haired lad started to walk away, and Katsuki turned around. "Hey Deku." He called out stopping him in his tracks. "Next time, wear something that doesn't scream I have a job and cash, unless you want to get your ass kicked again."

Izuku smiled in response. "Alright, I will. See you Kacchan."

* * *

 **What did you think?**


	2. Damaged

"I wonder if I took too much..." Wondered Izuku, looking inside the plastic bag he was carrying. "Kacchan used to have a black hole instead of a stomach but he looked skinnier than before."

He was once more walking towards the underground club, wondering what kind of song his former classmate was going to perform this evening. Whatever it was, it would be amazing. That was to be expected of Nitro. He'd taken his advice and was wearing dark blue sweatpants and grey T-shirt, with red sneakers. That would do for the dressing code around here. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a loud grunt coming from a nearby alley, and someone flew out of it before crashing on the ground.

"Come at me you bastards!" Shouted a familiar voice. "I'll show you what you get for messing with me!"

"Kacchan?"

Izuku hurried to the said alley and saw the singer fighting off four more men around him. He seemed to be holding his own though. That didn't surprise the freckled face. Katsuki was gifted in a lot of domain and unfortunately, street fighting was one of them. The green-haired lad sighed before entering the alley.

"Need help Kacchan?" He called out, earning himself the attention of the group.

"WHAT THE HELL DEKU?" Shouted Katsuki. "YOU IDIOT! GET YOUR DUMBASS OUT OF HERE!"

Too late. One of the four was already running towards the scrawny young man. Katsuki tried to go after him but the three others didn't let him pass. Even more furious than before, he kicked one in the nuts, elbowed another in the gut and threw a solid left hook in the third one's face.

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

Meanwhile, the one heading for Izuku took a switchblade out of his pocket and flipped it open. But the green-haired lad didn't panic. He waited until the last possible second, when the guy was about to gut him, to step out on the side and kicking the blade out of his hand. The guy stood there a little dumbfounded, looking at his empty hand. He then growled and turned to the shrimp and raised his fist with the intent to punch him in the face.

"DODGE YOU IDIOT!" Shouted Katsuki, as he was pushing away his last opponent.

The fist travelled through the air to go collide with Izuku's face, but this time instead of dodging, the short young man grabbed a hold of his attacker's arm. He moved aside, and carried away by his own weight, the assailant fell forward and crashed face first against the wall. Izuku quickly kicked him behind the knees making him fall on them. He then twisted his arm in his back, and pressed his knee against his back to keep him from moving. A perfect hold. Katsuki stared in awe at his former classmate.

"How the hell did you do that?" He asked.

"Told you I wasn't as defenseless as I used to be." Said the freckled face with a smile.

Izuku let go off his prisoner who immediately took off, abandoning his passed out friends in the alley.

"What happened here?" Asked Izuku. "Did you pick a fight for no good reason again?"

"Shut up you damn nerd!" Exclaimed Katsuki. "They were asking for it!"

"Anyways, don't you have a concert to get to?"

The explosive teenager made a face and quickly took out his phone to check the time. "Ah, shit! I gotta hurry, or that bastard's gonna nag again."

They started walking quickly towards the HELLGATE building.

"Who are you talking about?" Asked Izuku, curious.

"The boss at HELLGATE."

"Why is he a bastard?"

"Stop asking stupid questions all the time! Never mind that. Tell how you did that earlier?"

"What do you mean?"

"DON'T PLAY DUMB YOU STUPID NERD!" Shouted the blond, his eyes throwing daggers at the shorter lad. "Since when do you know how to fight?!" He continued pointing finger in his face.

"Oh that? I told you I work at a rehab center and most of my patients are junkies. They can have violent reactions sometimes, towards each other or the staff. It's recommended to learn some way of physical containment. Although it's better if we can settle everything with words." He said that last part with an apologetic smile.

Katsuki sighed before replying. "You bastard, you've been playing me this whole time."

"I just had no reason to show you." Explained Izuku. "Besides, I can't really fight. It's more like self defense. It's difficult to keep more than two opponents at bay."

"Well, congratulations nerd." Growled the blond. "You fooled me. Don't think you're a match for me though!"

"Probably not." Admitted the shorter of the two. "You're gonna be late by the way."

Katsuki clicked his tongue against his teeth. "Crap!"

After the show, Katsuki went to the back alley to find green-haired lad waiting for him. Again the scrawny guy complimented him on his performance and offered him takoyaki. The singer was more than grateful since he forgot to eat before the show and his stomach had been roaring the whole time. But of course, no way was Katsuki Bakugo admitting that out to someone's face.

"Man that hits the spot." He declared after swallowing twenty takoyaki. He brought his beer can to his lips again.

"Glad you like them. My girlfriend made them."

Katsuki's eyes widened and he spat out the beer. "You have a girlfriend?!" He exclaimed, genuinely surprised. "Since when?!"

"A year now?" Said Izuku uncertain.

"Get out!"

Izuku frowned, vexed. "I'm not lying!" He insisted before grabbing his phone. "Look!"

Katuski leaned forward to take a look at the picture the shorter boy was showing him. The photo showed Izuku and a round faced girl with brown hair and big eyes, both smiling their teeth out.

"Her name is Ochako." Said Izuku, taking his phone back. "I met her at the center. She's a nurse in the medical department."

The usually explosive young man stared at him in disbelief for a long time, frozen. So much that Izuku's face twisted in frustration. "Stop that!" He growled.

"Wow. You aren't joking … How'd a nerd like you managed to get a girlfriend?"

"Well are _you_ dating anyone Kacchan?" Defied the green-haired lad, before drinking from his can.

It was Katsuki's turn to frown in anger. His cheeks turned slightly red, and he was clearly flustered. "Mind your own fucking business Deku!"

"I'll take that as a no."

"Shut your damn mouth, nerd face!" Growled the red-eyed young man before finishing his beer, making Izuku chuckle. "QUIT LAUGHING BEFORE I KNOCK YOUR TEETH OUT!"

"Sorry Kacchan. It's just hard to imagine that I'd accomplish something before you."

"Jokes on you, stupid nerd. You've only been dating for a year!"

"So you had someone in college? Back in high school you were only interested in older girls..."

Katsuki seemed to immediately calm down, but Izuku didn't miss that disappointment had appeared. "Yeah, I had someone." Admitted the tough guy, before taking a cigarette out. "Turned out she was a bitch though."

"Didn't end too well?"

"Caught her cheating on me with my roommate."

"Seriously?" Said Izuku surprised. "I'm sorry Kacchan."

"Sorry for what?" Snapped Katsuki. "She was becoming annoying anyways."

Izuku silently chewed on his last takoyaki while observing the smoker. He was certain of a few things now. The first was that Katsuki was alone. His boasting attitude had disappeared because there was no one to boast to. Mrs Bakugo had told the therapist that her son hadn't called her in two years. No matter who you are, loneliness is never a good thing. And the more he interacted with his childhood friend, the more he could see remains of that explosive temper Katsuki used to have. At least, their interaction allowed him to let off some steam. Second, something had happened to make him like this. Probably in college. And his intuition told him that it was more than a bad break up. Something had hurt him deeply, and he was drowning himself in his loneliness. Usually when people do that, it's because they want to take something with them and make it disappear. It would take a while before Kacchan would let him know though. But for now, Izuku was happy to give his friend some company. It kept him from drowning himself completely. The green-haired lad looked at his watch.

"I have to go." He said standing up. "I have to get up early tomorrow."

"'kay." Said Katsuki.

That was another thing that Izuku had noticed. Kacchan never asked if he'd be back the next time. Like he was expecting him not to.

'Just how alone does he think he is?' Wondered the therapist as he walked away.

Once back at his apartment, Izuku looked at the clock and then grabbed his phone. He dialed the Bakugo's number. After a couple of beeps, Mistuki picked up.

" _I swear to God, this better be important. Because if you, whoever you are, got me out of bed at 2 freaking am for nothing, you're gonna wish..."_

"Hello Mrs Bakugo. It's Izuku. I'm sorry to bother you this late. "

" _Izuku?! Did you find Katsuki? Did something happen? Are you at the hospital?"_

"Calm down Mrs Bakugo, everything is fine." He reassured. "I just wanted to ask you something about Kacchan."

" _So you found him. How was he?"_

"Healthy. But lonely. I wanted to ask you about two years ago..."

* * *

A couple of days later, Izuku came back. And the time after that too. And again, after that. Every time Katsuki was performing at HELLGATE, and then go to the back alley to smoke, it seemed that the green-haired lad was waiting for him. And every time, they'd sit there, for no longer than thirty minutes, talking about the past. After two weeks, Katsuki had gotten used to the scrawny guy's presence. He'd never admit it, but his evenings weren't as boring as before. At least he had something to do instead of picking a fight with the club's drunkards.

"By the way, what do you do during the day, Kacchan? Since you work in the evening and all..."

"Why do you want to know that?"

"Just curious."

"I work in a garage. I fix crappy motorcycle engines."

Izuku didn't feel necessary to say once more how amazed he was at Katsuki's multiple talents, even though he thought it really hard. Was there nothing this guy couldn't do? Deku was about to ask more questions, when the metal door leading to the back stage of the club opened making both of them look up. A pale, skinny man with messy long gray hair and red eyes stepped out. He was entirely dressed in black. Black pants, black sneakers and a black hoodie. He seemed a little older than him and Kacchan. Twenty seven, twenty eight maybe? Katsuki frowned when he saw him and Izuku seemed curious. The newcomer smiled at the singer.

"There you are, Nitro. I was looking for you" He said to Katsuki, before his eyes fell on Izuku. "Is that a friend of yours?"

Izuku stood up. "Hello. My name is Izuku Midorya."

"I'm Tomura Shigaraki. I run the place." He said smiling creepily. "Nice to meet you."

He offered a hand and Deku shook it. But just the contact with this guy was sending shivers down his spine. His voice alone was enough to give him the creeps. It was like he'd suddenly realize that he was a prey facing a predator. This person was bad news, Izuku could feel it in his bones. He reminded him of some of the people at the center.

"So what brings you here?" Asked Tomura. "Did you hear about our local star?"

"Something like that."

Katsuki punched the metal trashcan next to him interrupting the conversation and got to his feet. "Don't start chit-chatting, it's fucking annoying." Declared the angry man, before throwing a murderous look at his former classmate. "I've seen enough of you. Get lost, Deku." He ordered.

Izuku's eyes widened briefly, as Katsuki waited for him to do what he was told. There was more than just annoyance and anger in his voice and attitude. There was a clear warning. So Izuku decided to trust the singer's judgment.

"I guess we'll meet again sometime, _Nitro_."

The green-haired lad walked away and Tomura watched until he disappeared. He then turned to Katsuki who looked away. The singer never looked him in the eyes for long and the tall man smirked at that. "You didn't answer my question."

"Don't talk shit. Who'd be friends with that good for nothing looser?" Spat the blond before walking towards the door.

"Hmmm."

Tomura walked up the alley until he found himself in the street in front of the run down building. Without even turning around, he knew they were behind him.

"Noumu, Kurogiri. You know what to do."

"Right." Replied the one hidden under a black hoodie, before turning to the tallest one. "Let's go Noumu."

* * *

 **Ochako's apartment**

shizukesa ga shimikomu yō de iki o tometa gozen goji

hijō kaidan de tsume o kamu asu wa docchi da?

The day has come

keshite akenai yoru mo furitsuzukete yamanai ame mo

kono rokudemo nai sekai ni wa aru nda yo

sukoshi mo hen de wa nai no madoromi ni ashi o torareteru

anata o semete iru wake ja nai nda yo

Ochako was quietly humming this song while looking over her cooking meat. Izuku's favorite dish was Katsudon, so she thought she surprised him. They had dinner together about four times a week and it was her turn to cook. She realized that she sort of had lost track of the time and looked at her clock. 11:56pm?! Izuku said he'd be late, but not this late. The brown haired nurse grabbed her phone and dialed her boyfriend's number. After a couple of beeps, it went straight to voicemail.

" _You've indeed reached the voicemail of Izuku Midorya. Leave me a message and I'll call you back as soon as I can."_ Said the cheerful recorded voice.

"Maybe he had an emergency at the center. But he usually calls to tell me that..."

At that precise moment, the doorbell rang and Ochako turned off the cooking plates before jogging to the door. She opened it and smiled.

"There you are! I was wondering when you'd get …."

Her voice froze in her throat when she saw the man standing in front of her. Izuku was barely standing on his feet, his legs were shaking more than a newborn lamb's. Blood was leaking from his forehead to his collarbone, disappearing under his shirt. A flow of red liquid was dripping from his mouth as well. He had a swollen black eye and he was holding one of his shoulder like if was hurting him. Also his ring finger and pinky of his eft hand seemed unnaturally twisted. His breathing was heavy and his good eye took a moment to find the girl's face.

"O...cha...ko... Can't … see..." He muttered with a choked voice, before falling forward.

"IZUKU!" She shouted catching him before he hit the ground.

* * *

 **A week later**

Katsuki lit his thirteenth cigarette of the evening. The show had been over for a couple of hours now. He looked at his watch. It was way past 1:00am. His teeth clenched in frustration. The most annoying part was not knowing what was pissing him off. What was he doing out here? He never smoked that much after a show. Two was his maximum. How the hell d'he get to thirteen? It's not like he was waiting for anything. He was beat and sweaty. He needed a shower and going to bed, because to top it all off, he had to wake up early for work. He glanced at the entrance of the alley one more time. Still quiet, without even a stray cat passing by.

"Tch. Forget it."

He didn't come the whole week, why would he show up now? Katsuki finished his cigarette and tossed the rest in the trash before getting up and heading towards the door. But then, the sound of quiet footsteps made him stop and turn around.

"Deku?" He asked.

He froze when he saw that the person was a woman. A girl with a round face, brown hair and big eyes. Where had he seen her before? She looked worried and was a little out of breath.

"Excuse me." She asked. "Are you Kacchan?"

Kacchan? No one called him that anymore aside from Deku. That meant that this was probably his girlfriend. What the hell was she doing here?

"Who're you?"

"My name is Ochako." She explained. "I'm looking for someone called Kacchan. It's important."

"It's Katsuki and that's me. Did Deku sent you?" He asked. "Where is the damn nerd anyways?"

"Not exactly. He's been in the hospital for a week."

Katsuki's eyes shot open. "In the hospital? Why?"

"Minor concussion, sprained fingers and a cracked rib." She said.

"What happened?"

"He said he was jumped by two guys around here." She stared at the ground and looked like she was about to cry. Katsuki grabbed the girl by the shoulders, a little too roughly so she let out a cry of surprise.

"Did he say what they looked like?"

"Uhm, I think he said one had black paint over his face and the other one was almost six foot five. The doctors said he'll be fine though."

What the hell? That description matched Noumu and Kurogiri. Katsuki let go off the girl and stared into space for a while. Then his eyes fell on her but he said nothing. "Why d'you come here?"

She suddenly seemed embarrassed and looked away. "I...I know Izuku's been coming here a lot recently. And I know he won't stop until he's done what he wants. He's stubborn like that. So I was just wondering if you... you know... I don't know how to say this without sounding overbearing. I mean I just met you and we barely know each other..."

"Out with it already!" Growled the singer annoyed.

"Coulyoulookafterhimwhenhecomeshereplease?" She said so fast, that Katsuki barely caught everything. "I know you his childhood friend and he speaks very highly of you, so …"

"Look after him? He's the one getting in trouble by coming here all the time. This isn't a place for softies!"

"I know that!" She said a little louder. "That's why I'm asking! Aren't you his friend? What if something worse happens next time?"

His friend? They were never friends to begin with. At least, Katsuki would never have described him that in school. Deku was following him around everywhere back then, but he never did anything to earn the little nerd's good will in particular. And now... what now? Deku came to see him at almost every show and then they'd spend some time talking. Didn't friends do that?

"Look if he gets hurt coming here it's his own damn fault for being too weak! But … around here, I guess I can keep an eye on him."

Her face lit up like a little kid's would in front of a surprise.

"Don't get me wrong!" He immediately snapped, his cheeks slightly red. "I don't intend to become his babysitter! The damn nerd's gotta learn to look after himself."

"Izuku's right." She said smiling. "You are a good guy, even though you're kind of scary."

"Huh?" He growled, as an angry vein popped out on his forehead.

"Nevermind." Ochako quickly said. She took a few steps back and bowed to him. "Thank you so much, Katsuki."

Ochako turned heels and walked away quickly. The singer kept his eyes on her until she disappeared. She was just as dumb and annoying as Deku, no wonder they went well together. His mind went back to the situation though. He imagined the scrawny little nerd all beat up in a hospital bed and plugged to annoyingly beeping machines, his eyes closed and irregular breathing. Sure this time it was a minor concussion, next time it might be a broken back. He clenched his teeth before hurrying inside the building. He crossed the hallways that were between the actual club room and his boss's private office (not that it could be called that). He kicked open the door and entered, earning himself the attention of the room. Tomura and about ten of his guys were in here, but Noumu and Kurogiri were nowhere to be seen. The punks were sitting in couches around a low table where beer cans were placed... as well as small packs containing white pills. Katsuki didn't give a damn though, and went straight to Tomura who got up when he saw him.

"Nitro. I didn't think you'd join us. You didn't have to break the door though..."

Before he could finish his greeting, the singer grabbed him by the collar and violently pushed him against the wall. The guys in the room all stood from their seat, but the gray haired man raised a hand to tell them to stay still.

"You damned son of a bitch!" Shouted Katsuki. "What the hell did you do?!"

"What are you talking about?" Replied Tomura, smiling innocently.

"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME, YOU BASTARD!" He screamed, shoving him against the wall again. "WhAT the hell did you do to deku!?"

"Deku? Who is that?"

"The scrawny nerd with green hair and a stupid face you saw with me a week ago!"

"Oh him..." Pretended to remember the boss of HELLGATE. "Did he come back?"

Katsuki tightened his grip. "Don't pretend you didn't have anything to do with it!" He said his voice lower this time but dripping with murder intent. "Noumu and Kurogiri are your dogs, they don't do shit without you telling them to!"

"Calm down, Nitro." He replied shrugging. "I was only giving him a warning. I think they went easy on him. They only shook him up a little, after all."

At those words, rage exploded inside and Kastuki raised his fist with the intention of breaking the bastard's nose. But Tomura blocked it perfectly and kicked him in the gut with his knee. Katsuki's breath got cut off, and the boss took the opportunity to twist his arm in his back and press him against the wall. His grip was strong and his hold impeccable.

"Calm down, Nitro. There's no need for violence." He said calmly.

"Get the hell off me!"

"Did you know this guy works in a rehab center?"

"So what?!"

"So, if he learns what you've been up to, how do you think he'll react? He'll call the cops and our little arrangement would be compromised. And you don't want that do you? Unless you're fine with working in that garage for the rest of your life until you get the money you need. And don't forget : if I'm in trouble, so are you."

At the sound of that, the singer stopped struggling, knowing he wasn't going to get free on his own. He still snarled in rage. "That's a good boy. Now if you don't want your … acquaintance to get anymore bruises, the best way would be to get him out of our hair now wouldn't it? It's just a suggestion though."

The pale man let him go and Katsuki rubbed his pained wrist … before sending his foot flying in Tomura's stomach as hard as he could.

"Mind your fucking business, Tomura." He said before exiting the room, slamming the door behind him.

"Oh, but it is my business Nitro. And I intend to keep it that way, little pawn."

Katsuki climbed up the stairs and slammed the door to his room before letting himself fall on his bed, cursing the gray haired freak with every bad word he knew. And there were a lot in his vocabulary. Once he evacuated his most frustrating thoughts (most of which consisted of horrifying methods to kill Tomura), he let out a long sighed. He sat up and thought of his school days. Back when Deku and him shared the same kind of life. Now, they were living in two completely different worlds. The nerd was living a good life in the real world. He'd done something with himself. While Katsuki had failed. Miserably failed. His teeth clenched at the thought. Loosing to Deku of all people? What a joke!

" _Around here, I guess I can keep an eye on him."_

Why the fuck did he tell her that? He wasn't Deku's nanny. They weren't even friends. What was that nerd hoping by coming to see him all the time? Was he expecting them to be friends again? Not that they ever were friends in the first place. He was a damn nerd, this place wasn't meant for him. He was too weak. Too fragile. He'd definitely break if he kept coming here. Why was he always throwing himself in the fire like an idiot anyways? Why couldn't he just mind his own business? An old memory of him falling into a stream came to mind.

" _Are you okay? Are you hurt?"_ Said the Deku from his memory. _"I was afraid you might've hit your head."_

"YOU STUPID NERD!" He shouted standing from his bed. "I NEVER NEEDED YOUR HELP OR YOUR DAMN WORRY, DAMMIT!"

Of course no was here to hear him. His phone vibrated in his pocket and he took it out. It was his mother calling. Again. As always, he pressed the off button. He stared at the device a long time, lost in thought before he dialed Izuku's number. The nerd had given it to him sometime ago. The phone rang a couple of times before someone picked up.

" _Hello?"_ Said Izuku's tired voice on the other side. He'd probably woken him up.

"You shouldn't be answering the phone at 2am Deku."

" _Kacchan?"_ Replied the voice suddenly awake. _"Should you really be telling me this? You're the one calling. Is everything alright?"_

"I should be the one asking you that."

" _I'm fine. Sorry I wasn't able to show up lately. I've been busy."_

"DON'T FUCKING LIE TO ME YOU DAMN NERD!" Shouted the blond. "I know you got jumped!"

" _How do you... Ochako."_ Muttered the green-haired lad on the other side of the line and Kastuki just knew he was face-palming. _"Honestly I'm fine though. I'll be out of the hospital tomorrow."_

"Listen up, reject. Cause I'm not gonna say this twice. Don't show up here again."

" _..."_ There was along silence on the other side of the line. So long that Katsuki got irritated.

"Did you hear what I said?" He snapped.

" _What happened?"_ Asked Izuku.

Huh? Had he lost part of his brain when he got jumped? Why the hell was he worrying about him when he was the one sitting in a hospital bed? "I don't want to see your nerdy face around here again, got that?"

" _But Kacchan..."_

"Bye Deku." Cut off the singer before ending the call.

He stared at his phone again before tossing it violently to the other end of the room.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! PLEASE REVIEW.**


	3. Lost souls

**Special thanks to my reviewers : matlalcoatl164 and chaosspeer.**

* * *

 **Allmight Rehabilitation Center**

The center's orientation branch was as busy as ever on that Monday morning. Izuku was walking slowly down the hallway, with a clipboard in one hand and a grim and lost look on his face. His head was still hurting him despite being bandaged and he could barely use his left hand because of his ring and middle being taped together. Ever since that phone call from Katuski, he'd been brainstorming about it. Katsuki was clearly trying to keep him out of trouble, even if the singer didn't realize that himself. Meaning he was likely to give him a beating if the therapist showed up again. But was him getting jumped the only reason Katsuki wanted him to stay away? It sounded like the excuse he was waiting for. He was going to need a new approach if he wanted to get close to him. For one, HELLGATE was ruining him. He needed to get him away from that place. Izuku pushed the door of the room in which he was suppose to have a meeting with his first group of the day.

"Mr Midorya!" Exclaimed a girl with pink hair who jumped out of her seat, quickly followed by a boy with a long nose and pitch black hair and also a blond guy with headphones.

"Oh hello Mina. Fumikage. Denki." He said with a tired smile. "It's good to see you again. Sorry I couldn't be here last week."

"Are you sure you're feeling alright sir?" Asked Mina.

It was hard to believe that a year ago, these kids would barely talked to him. They were teens from broken homes and neighborhoods, who'd been caught up in drug dealing to survive. Mina had been the worse of them all. She used to run away all the time and even attacked the staff. She had been a slick manipulator. The child protective services thought it was hopeless so they sent her here. Izuku had been patient with her and extremely clever. And after a year of hard work, he'd managed to pierce through her thick armor and she'd cried in front of him. The real Mina came out, a kind hearted girl who enjoyed to live and to laugh. Once she'd progressed, everyone else in the group hadn't taken long to pick up the same path. Izuku was so proud of them. They'd fought and they were winning. The therapist smiled to himself. There really was hope for everyone. This group was the living proof of that. Izuku walked over to the round shaped table and sat down.

"Come on and sit down you three." He invited. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine really. I'll take off the bandages in a couple of days."

Mina, Fumikage and Denki went back to their seats, joining the two others. Izuku immediately saw that someone was missing. He knew all his groups by heart and this one consisted of six people. Mina Ashido, Fumikage Tokoyami and Denki Kaminari, the ex-punks and junkies, Tsuyu Asui, orphan and alcoholic since she was thirteen, Hitoshi Shinsou, the oldest of the group, NSSI* with a record of violence and vandalism and last but not least, the latest addition to the group...

"Where is Shouto?" Asked Izuku.

Everyone shrugged or shook their head. Izuku sighed. It wasn't unusual for patients to skip out on their therapies but after a couple of times, it was protocol to signal it.

"Has anyone seen him today?"

"No, but he only came once last week when you were being replaced by Mr Iida." Said Fumikage.

Shouto Todoroki. A kid with a history of parental abuse, covered in scars both physically and mentally. A passive mother and a father that'd beat him whenever he had the opportunity. It wouldn't be far from the truth to say he'd been tortured for years by him. One particularly bad incident involving boiling oil left him a nasty scar on half of his face. He'd ended up running away from home at fifteen and unfortunately the one to become his protector was a drug dealer. Shouto became a mule or merchandise carrier for that guy. He was caught by the cops not so long ago. Eight weeks actually. And it'd been the exact opposite of Mina. He was quiet, withdrawn and wouldn't share anything about his feelings. But he quickly took a liking to the group and Izuku had made some good progress with him. But Izuku being absent for a week might have triggered something. It took a very long time for Shouto to start talking at all and even longer to trust Izuku. But he'd started to open up ever so slightly and even seemed to start enjoying common activities with the group. He'd gotten a bit closer to Mina than to the others. Her cheerful attitude had a good effect on him, and when he arrived she 'd been more than willing to take him under her wing.

"Well, let's begin." Said Izuku.

After the session, the patients went their way and Izuku was about to head to the medical branch to go see Ochako. His head was hurting a little and he wanted some painkillers. But he heard footsteps running behind him.

"Mr Midorya!"

Izuku stopped and turned around. "What is it Mina?"

She caught her breath before speaking. "I think I know where Todoroki is." She said, quietly.

"You do?"

She nodded and took out her phone. She had a worried expression on her face. "Remember when we talked about me giving you the numbers of all the dealers I knew so we could help more people like us?"

"Yes."

She looked to the side as if she was ashamed. "I...I kept one from you. Not because I wanted more supplies!" She swore. "I promise I'm clean! You can ask the medic staff!"

The therapist placed a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Mina. I believe you. What is it?"

"I didn't want to give you his name because... I was scared of him. He's done some pretty horrible things to people who ratted him out before. But I think it's the same guy that Todoroki was working for. It sounds like him anyways..."

"Sounds like him?"

"The way Todoroki talked about him like a savior, you know. Like he was taking care of him, like a father figure or something... Well, he's the only dealer I know that acts like that. I think Todoroki might have gone back to him."

She looked for her contacts and showed the screen to the therapist. "His name is Tomura Shigaraki."

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. 'Kacchan...'

* * *

 **HELLGATE**

No matter how or what he sang, the crowd adored him. That was how it always was. The problem was that it was always the same crowd. The same kind of people, most of them not good influences or teens that snuck in to drink and shit. Katsuki used that annoying feeling as fuel to power his music and that only made the crowd go even more wild. But for once he did something that he never did before. He was looking at the faces he could discern in the crowd. Some faces were familiar but it wasn't those he was looking for. It wasn't intentional, his eyes were looking by themselves as the rest of him focused on his guitar and his song. Although he didn't try to stop his eyes from looking. And suddenly they stopped wandering around and stopped on someone. Messy green hair to be exact.

'What the hell?! What's he doing back here?'

But as he observed, he realized the nerd wasn't looking at him, or even listening to the music. He was looking around. Was he drunk? No, his movements were too precise, and there was that annoying terrified look on his face. The same one he had back in school when Katsuki used to threaten him. What the hell was he scared of ? Katsuki finished his song, and immediately stepped backstage to grab a black hoodie (probably Tomura's) to hide his face. He then went back to the club and pushed people to make his way in the crowd, ignoring their protest. It took a while but he finally found Izuku who was still looking around. The sight of him pissed him off and he grabbed the shorter young man around the neck with his arm and pulled him to a quieter corner. Izuku was thrown against the wall and grunted more in surprise than in pain.

"Kacchan!"

"What the fuck Deku! I thought I told you to get lost!"

Instead of listening to what the singer had to say, Izuku grabbed his former classmate by the shoulders. "Thank goodness! I need your help!"

"What? Did you get in trouble again? That's why I told you to stay away you stupid looser! Why can't you just do what you're told?! What sort of shit are you in this time?"

"Not me." Replied Izuku. "It's one of my patients."

"Patients? From the Center?"

"Yeah. His name is Shouto Todoroki. Long story short, he's in trouble. I think he went back to his former dealer."

"What's that got to do with you being here?" Growled Katsuki. "It better be good. Otherwise, I'll be the one to send you to the hospital for good."

Izuku threw him a very serious look. "Kacchan. Did you know that your boss is a drug dealer?"

Katsuki's eyes widened in shock. This was bad. HELLGATE didn't just look like a shady club. By using bands and people like Katsuki as bait, gang members could come out and deal all kinds of drugs to the people here. No one had ever been able to prove anything and no one in the neighborhood was brave enough to blow the whistle on the gang that owned the place. People had been killed for less around here. If Deku was on to Tomura and the asshole learned it, then that dumbass was toast. Literally. Tomura had a thing for using rats as ashtrays. The red eyed singer grabbed Izuku by the shirt and dragged him outside, before pushing him away.

"Get the hell out of here Deku."

"What? Not without Shouto! If he's here, I have to find him before he gets to Shigaraki."

"Why do you care? The dumb kid got in this mess by himself. By choice, you idiot!" Shouted Kastuki.

"Choice? It's not a choice, he doesn't know better! He's only fifteen Kacchan! Sure he's influenceable, but he's not a lost case. I refuse to believe that." Declared Izuku. "And he's my responsibility. I'm not leaving before I find him. The quicker I do, the faster I'll be on my way. So please, help me!"

Katsuki clenched his teeth. The damn nerd was not giving up. The explosive young man rubbed his face roughly trying to focus. Izuku would keep coming back until he got what he wanted. That's what Ochako had said about him. Damn it! "What does he look like?"

"He has dyed hair white on one side, red on the other, and a red scar on the left eye." Said the therapist. "He's hard to miss."

Katsuki knew that description. He'd seen Tomura's mule hanging around for a while now. If he was right, then it was the quiet kid that barely spoke to anyone except to the bastard. "Go to the back alley. And make sure no one sees your nerdy face. I don't want to have to save your ass again."

With that, Katsuki disappeared in the crowd. Izuku sighed and wondered if the singer was going to be alright. Did Kacchan know about his boss? Probably, he wasn't an idiot. He knew the part of town he lived in wasn't exactly known for the legal business. The green-haired lad went to the alley and waited for a while. Katsuki was a heavy smoker now, but he wasn't giving obvious symptoms of drug abuse. His thoughts were interrupted when the metal door opened and someone was pushed out into the alley. Katsuki stepped out right after and closed the door.

"Found your runt Deku." He said, grabbing the kid by the collar and pushing him forward.

Shouto tried to back away but a strong hand on his back kept him from it. He looked up and met the eyes of his therapist. They didn't show anger. Just concern, and maybe a hint of disappointment. The scarred teen looked astonished.

"Mr Midorya... what are you doing here?" Asked the teen with a quiet voice and his eyes looking away.

"That should be my question, Shouto. I was worried about you. Looks like I was right to be." Said Izuku with a firm voice, but without ever raising it. He stared at the kid for a while before speaking again. "Did something happen with Mina and the others?"

"No..." Muttered the teen. "Nothing."

"Why did you come here?" Asked Izuku. "What were you looking for?"

"It's none of your business." Replied the kid.

He wasn't the type to shout, unlike Kacchan, when something was bothering him. On the contrary he'd grow quieter and quieter, until he simply refused to speak anymore. And then, all possibility of getting through was practically lost. Izuku was trying to avoid that at all costs.

"I'm sorry." He said, earning himself the surprised look of the teen. "I couldn't be here for you last week. You probably thought I was abandoning you. Even if I couldn't really do anything about it, I should have contacted all of you. So I'm sorry Shouto."

Katsuki looked intently at the scene that was playing out in front of him. Why the hell was Deku apologizing ? The brat was the one who got in trouble and ran away. What the hell kind of reversed roles bullshit was that? But his critical thoughts were immediately silenced when he saw the teen stare in surprise at Izuku. He knew that look all too well. It was confusion sure, but mostly guilt. The kid was confused that an adult (if that was even the right word to describe Deku) was lowering himself to his level and seemed to see through him like through clear water. How did the nerd do that?

Izuku took a step closer to the kid and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I meant what I said the first time we met." He continued. "I will help you get back on your feet. And while you do that, I'm here to protect all of you."

"You all say that..." Muttered Shouto looking at the ground. "You all say the same thing. It's alright now. We'll take care of you now... But all you do is pass us around like dead weight."

"I'm here, aren't I?" Said Izuku.. "I stand by what I said. I'll have your back until you're back on your feet. I won't force you to come back with me, Shouto. But I'll come back here. And I'll wait. As long as it takes. I never shut the door on anyone, I won't start with you."

The kid's teeth suddenly clenched. "Why? Why would you go this far for any of us? No one ever cares! They always wait for someone else to do it! When everyone else always tossed us aside... what do you gain from it?"

"I had my dark times too. I was alone. And I crawled out of it as best as I could. I know how hard and painful it is to do it alone. It feels like it's impossible, doesn't it? Well I hate that word." Izuku smiled. "But you're right, I do gain something from it : when I see you guys all grown up and on your feet, you confirm that my philosophy is correct."

"Philosophy?"

"That's my secret. But knowing that I was right flatters my ego." Joked the therapist with a big smile this time. "What do you say? Give the center one more chance. You know, Mina was worried about you. She told me how to find you."

"I … can't. Mr Midorya … If I leave … he'll never forgive me."

"And if you stay, he's gonna end up killing you anyways." Said Katsuki, tired of the kid's shaky attitude. Sometimes a good kick to the ass was the best way to make someone make up their mind. At least for the people here, it was the best method according to him. "Trust me, you're not the only mule he has and definitely not the first one. That bastard won't give a shit if you get killed, you stupid kid."

"Huh?"

"YOU'RE PATHETIC!" Suddenly shouted the singer exasperated, making Shoto almost jump out of his skin. "LOOK AT YOU, SHAKING IN YOUR BOOTS! SOMEONE'S OFFERING YOU A HAND AND ALL YOU CAN THINK OF IS STAY NEAR THAT BASTARD WHO'S GONNA KEEP USING YOU UNTIL HE'S DONE? WHEN SOMEONE MAKES AN OFFER LIKE THAT YOU TAKE IT, DUMBASS! DON'T YOU KNOW DEKU'S RISKING HIS LIFE BY COMING HERE?"

"What?" Let out the astonished teen.

"Tomura's the one who sent him to the hospital, moron!"

"Kacchan, that's enough." Said Izuku.

When the green-haired lad turned to the teen, tears had started falling down his cheeks. He tried to wipe them but they kept coming. No sobs, just a silent cry.

"I'm … I'm sorry Mr Midorya. I thought after a beating like that, you were gonna quit... " Let out the crying teen. "I didn't know ..."

"Give me some credit." Said Izuku, ruffling his hair. "It'd take a whole lot more than that to make me quit. Come on, let's go. The others are waiting for you."

The therapist grabbed the crying teen by the shoulder gently and they started walking away. Shouto let himself be led by Izuku while he was still covering his eyes with his forearm. Katsuki stayed quiet while looking at the pair walking away. Even he could tell that the brat had a long way to go, before being able to think by himself, but at least he was in good hands. When they reached the end of the alley, the green-haired lad turned around and looked at him.

"Thanks for your help Kacchan. Really." He said with a big smile.

That left him a bit dumbfounded. "Get the hell out of here." He simply replied.

Izuku nodded before leaving with Shouto. The singer leaned against the wall and took out his pack of cigarette before realizing that he wasn't really feeling like smoking and put it away. There it was that annoying feeling again. Feeling bored but not really wanting to do anything. He looked around. Again, not even a stray cat to be seen. Man, was this boring... He found himself thinking about the old days, when he dragged his friends around to get in trouble. Deku was always there. Somewhere a little behind watching him. Like a little bug, following him around. At first, he'd thought he was just hanging around him because he was weak. But once he saw a bunch of losers picking on him. He'd passed by without a care in the world and the nerd saw him. But he never asked him for help. And the following day, he was following him again. That was the first time he'd thought Deku wasn't totally a wuss. And the only time he'd oppose him was when Katsuki'd beat up someone just for the hell of it. And even when the blond would turn on him, no matter how hard he was shaking in his boots, he'd never back down.

"Since when have you become so cool huh? Nerd face." He muttered to himself.

The metal door opening interrupted him. Kurogiri stepped out into the alley. "Oh it's you Nitro." Said the man with a painted face. "Have you seen Todoroki anywhere? Tomura is looking for him. And you too by the way."

"Haven't seen anybody here." Said Katsuki, before walking passed his boss's right arm. But the dark faced man grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Strange. Nomou said he saw you with the kid not too long ago."

"I had something to ask him, not that it's any of your damn business." He threw him a murderous glare. "Get your hand off me before I set you on fire, freak show."

Kurogiri didn't show any sign of being impressed but he let go off the angry blond. Katsuki resumed his pace and headed back inside, and headed for the office backstage. As usual, Tomura and his goons were getting high after closing the club.

"Ah, Nitro. Glad you could make it."

"What do you want this time?"

"Just letting you know that we got our hands on your favorite." He said holding up something to his face. "It's been a while right? Want some?"

"Son of a bitch..."

* * *

 **Katsuki's apartment**

Izuku stood in front of the door, holding his breath. He was more than sure that the second he'd knock and identify himself, he'd probably get yelled out and beating from his former classmate. He'd long thought about coming here in person or calling, but he was pretty sure Katsuki wouldn't have picked up. At least now, the therapist had clear idea of the situation here. It's not like the drug dealing surprised, not in this district. It was the best place to have any kind of illicit activity going on. HELLGATE seemed to be a well organized traffic. And Tomura Shigaraki was the center of it all. Just how deep was Katsuki in this mess? However, Izuku was working with junkies. That meant that he had the observation skills of a therapist. And he hadn't picked up any signs of drug abuse from the singer. But then how could he explain his attachment to this place? He clearly disliked Tomura, so if the guy wasn't his dealer, then what was holding him in this crappy place? In any case, Izuku wasn't anywhere near giving up. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door of Katsuki's apartment, on the sixth floor of the HELLGATE building.

"Kacchan? It's me."

It was the first time he came during the day, so it was likely that Tomura and his gang weren't around. But there was also a chance that Katsuki was at the garage, working on his motorcycle engines. When no one answered, Izuku knocked a second time. Again no one answered. Izuku was about to leave when something collided with the door on the other side and made a strange noise. He pressed his ear on the door and listened. It wasn't clear but he could hear mumbling. Izuku frowned and grabbed the handle.

"I'm coming in." He announced.

He twisted the handle and pushed the door open. The apartment was actually a big room with a small kitchen, a bed in the corner and a singled window. The whole place reeked of alcohol and cigaret. But that was not what caught the green-haired lad's attention. Katsuki was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and surrounded by at least thirty cans of beer, half of them already empty. He was wearing nothing but beige pants and a black tank top. His cheeks were red and his eyes seemed lost as he stared out the window but didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular.

"Kacchan, what the hell are you doing?" Asked Izuku, a little worried at the sight.

The blond turned to him and stared at him for a long time before speaking. He raised the can he was holding towards the therapist as one would when proposing a toast. But the look on his face screamed exhaustion and sadness. "Fucking Deku's in the house, people. What'd we do to deserve this honor?" He said before drinking.

"Kacchan how many of those have you had?" Said Izuku crouching down next to him and eying the empty cans. "It's not even noon yet..."

"Fuck off Deku..." He replied, drinking some more. "Why d'you feel the need to rub it all in my face..."

"What are you talking about?"

He exploded in laughter before settling down and regaining his sad expression. "Stop playing fake samaritan with me... you fucking nerd..."

"Alright Kacchan, I think you've had enough." Said Izuku grabbing the can from his hand before he could take more. "Let's get you sobered up, you're talking nonsense. Come on."

The shorter man grabbed the singer by the arm and pulled him up. But the second the blond was back on his feet, Izuku found himself grabbed by the collar and slammed against the wall. Katsuki was holding him by the collar so tightly that he was practically strangling him.

"What are you doing, Kacchan?" Let out the green-haired lad as best he could while grabbing his former classmate's wrists, hoping to loosen the strong grip. He froze though when he saw the enraged glare the singer was throwing him. He was almost snarling like a dog, ready to attack and for a moment, Izuku was afraid he would bite him. But the hands holding him by the collar started shaking.

"Why Deku?" He said, with a deep voice that seemed to be showing anger and despair at the same time. "WHY DID YOU HAVE TO SHOW UP?! I NEVER ASKED YOU FOR ANYTHING! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, HUH?!"

"Kacchan, please calm down... You're hurting me." Said Izuku, as the blond boy's grip tightened even more.

"YOU GOT A JOB, A GIRLFRIEND, A HOUSE! YOU HAVE A LIFE, YOU HAVE EVERYTHING! ISN'T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU? DO YOU HAVE TO RUB IT IN MY FACE?! I GET IT ALREADY! I LOST! THERE, I SAID IT! I LOST TO YOU! USELESS GOOD FOR NOTHING DEKU BEAT ME! SO WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE, DAMN IT!"

"Beat you? What are you talking about?"

Katsuki suddenly went quiet and looked at the ground but without releasing him. It was like he couldn't hear him, his ears covered by his own rage. Izuku could feel his cold hands shaking against him. What had happened? He dared not ask and held his breath, waiting for the singer to calm down. But when Katsuki didn't say anything or moved for a while, he risked a question.

"Are you alright, Kacchan?" He asked.

Something then caught the therapist's eye. Something was falling from Katsuki's face onto the ground. Tears. Izuku's eyes widened in shock. Never, in his entire life, had he ever seen the blond cry. He knew everyone was capable of it, especially when having drunk so much but somehow it still surprised him. He gulped at the sight.

"Damn it Deku." Muttered the singer. Even when he was crying he seemed angry. "I tried. I really did. But I still screwed it all up... Where did I go wrong?"

The look he threw him was still angry, but with the tears falling, Izuku couldn't help but grit his teeth as his own eyes started to water. 'Oh, Kacchan. Just how much are you suffering?' He thought, unable to say out loud.

Katsuki clenched his teeth angrily. Letting out a shout of rage, he sent his forehead to collide with the therapist's. Izuku was thrown back and slid down the wall holding his head painfully. It was like a bus had hit him in the face.

"Ow!" He let out, as he ended up on the floor and looked up at his assailant. "What was that for?"

"Don't give me that look!" He was panting now, and Izuku saw that the water falling from his face was not only made up of tears but also of heavy sweat. "Stupid...nerd face..."

The green-haired lad's eyes widened when he saw the taller boy loosing his balance and falling forward. He quickly got to his knees and caught him before he could hit the ground.

"Kacchan!"

"Get the hell off me, Deku..." Muttered the blond, although he did nothing to resist the shorter boy's assistance. His eyes were closed as well.

"You're not okay Kacchan." Said Izuku placing a hand on his forehead. "You're burning up!"

"Who cares..." Kept muttering the almost passed out singer.

"I do!" Said Izuku, passing his arm around his neck. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

It took a lot of effort for Izuku to drag the tall and heavy singer to his bed. Once the deed done, the therapist covered him up and looked around. This room was freezing. There was no heater anywhere. It was dirty too, and hadn't been cleaned in some time. He didn't have to search around to know he would't find anything useful to treat him.

"Kacchan, when's the last time you ate?" Asked Izuku.

"Who cares?" He mumbled back.

The therapist sighed. Katsuki wasn't going to make it easy for him. Besides, with a fever like that, it was likely he'd fall asleep soon. He took out his phone and dialed his girlfriend's number.

"Ochako? I need your help."

* * *

About an hour later, the round faced brunette entered the singer's apartment. She was carrying a small black bag. What she noticed immediately was the state of the room. For someone working in the medical field, hygiene was the most important thing.

"Thank you, I'm sorry I bothered you during your day off."

"I'm glad you called me, this place is a mess. And it's freezing in here!" She said, taking off her coat and tossed it on the table. "I brought the electrical heater. It's in the car."

"I'll go get it." Said the green-haired lad, before exiting the room quickly.

Ochako looked around. She didn't have to be a psychologist to tell that whoever was living here was neglecting themselves. The short woman approached the now sleeping Katsuki and sat on the edge of the bed before placing her hand on his forehead. He was indeed burning up. She opened he bag and took out out her thermometer and placed in under the sleeping blond's armpit. When it beeped she took it out. It indicated 39,5 degrees celsius. She then grabbed his arm and proceeded to pock around his pressure points a little. The tension was clear in his muscles. She checked the state of his teeth and the dryness of his eyes as well. The nurse then took a cooling pad out of her bag and placed it on the singer's forehead. She chuckled a little when he frowned in his sleep at the contact of the cold. What a scary guy. At that moment, Izuku returned carrying the electrical heater.

"Well?" He asked as he plugged it in and turned it on. "How is he?"

"From what I can tell, he's overexerted himself. There's a clear tension in his muscles, and he's dehydrated." She said. "If he starts vomiting, he'll need to see a doctor for a flu shot. For now, all we can do is change the cool pad regularly and give him painkillers for the headache if he has any. But Izuku, why didn't you call a real doctor?"

The green-haired lad, rubbed the back of his neck and looked away for a while. He then looked at the girl who waited patiently for his answer. "Ochako, I have a favor to ask. Could you take a blood sample from Kacchan and have it analyzed?"

Her eyes widened. She definitely wasn't aloud by protocol to do that, but technically speaking she did have access to the necessary equipment and the expertise to do so. Izuku was always one for following the rules. It surprised her that he'd ask her to do that.

"Do you think he's sick?" She asked. "Why don't you just take him to the hospital? I know you said he was a stubborn mule but ..."

"That's not it."

He moved over to the end of the bed and uncovered one of Katsuki's feet. Ochako approached and Izuku showed her the space between the singer's big toe and the rest. The nurse indeed saw the little purplish dots clearly from an unclean injection needle. And it was not the first time she'd seen those marks. Her mouth dropped open.

"Oh my gosh." She let out. "He's a junkie?"

"Except I've been seeing him for over a month now. He hasn't given any signs of addiction." Said Izuku.

A sad look appeared on the gentle girl's face. "I hate to say this but... don't you think you were ignoring them because he's your friend?"

"Maybe. That's why I want to make sure." Said Izuku. "If he really is an addict, I'll try to bring him to the center."

"And if he's not?" She asked.

"Then, I'll have to keep digging for what's wrong. And I'll keep looking until I can save him."

"It's that bad?"

"He's destroying himself, Ochako." Said the therapist.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to get you to abandon him. But why do you feel the need to go this far for him? You haven't seen each other in years..."

Izuku looked at the ceiling for a while before smiling. "I'm not sure. If I had to guess, I'd say it's a debt. When I was a kid, looking up to Kacchan was what made me want to become better and stronger. His presence alone was enough to make me want to lift mountains. He was like a brilliant light, guiding me even though he didn't know it. In a sense, he saved me. That's why... it's my turn to save him now."

Ochako looked at the determination in her boyfriend's green eyes. She threw her arms around his neck. "Hmm. Ochako?"

"You're a hero, you know that right?" She whispered.

Izuku felt his heart pound harder when she said that, and his cheeks turned red. It was childish, but that was the best compliment someone could give him. And coming from Ochako, it was worth more than anything. He hugged her back and after a little while, they releases each other.

"Well, then." Said the short nurse jumping back on her feet. "This place is so filthy, even a rat couldn't handle living here. I'll clean the kitchen and the floor. You find someplace to wash his clothes. I'm pretty sure he doesn't do laundry either. And then we need to fill his fridge."

"Yes ma'am."

"When we're done...I'll take a blood sample."

* * *

* NSSI : Non-Suicidal Self-Injury

* * *

 **PLEASE REVIEW**


	4. Debts

**Hi guys! Sorry for the tardiness!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

After a couple of hours of thorough cleaning and washing, the small place seemed to be shining. Katsuki was still sleeping like a baby even though he wasn't done sweating. The sun was starting to go down and nice orange rays were lighting the room. Izuku was sitting at the table, slumped over it. Ochako had already left. She had to get up early for work and had taken a sample of Katsuki's blood before leaving. Izuku wanted to be sure his former classmate was alright. Knowing the flame head, he would act like a stubborn kid say everything was fine, and brush it off. The therapist was wondering just how mad the singer would be when he woke up. The sound of something vibrating in a corner made him look up. It was coming from the corner of the room where Katsuki kept his instruments. It took a little searching for Deku to find the blond's cellphone on the table where music sheets were scattered. The caller ID read Boss. For a moment Izuku thought it was referring to Tomura and then realized that Kacchan would only call him that over his dead body. He pressed the answer button.

" _Bakugo?"_ Said the voice of a man. _"It's Kirishima. Listen dude we haven't seen you today. I'm just wondering if everything's okay. The boss is worried too. And yeah I used his phone, because I know you'd hang up if you knew it was me, you asshole..."_

"Hum, sorry to interrupt but I'm not Kacchan." Replied Izuku. "My name is Izuku Midorya. I'm a friend."

" _Oh, you're a pal of his? Well, that's a surprise. I'm Eijirou Kirishima, I work with him. Do you know where he is? He hasn't come in for work today."_

"He has a high fever. It doesn't seem to be the flu so I think he'll be out of it for about three days."

" _Shit. Is he alright?"_

That was weird. Someone was looking out for Kacchan at work. The thought made Izuku smile a little. "He'll be fine. Kirishima, right? Can I ask you a question?"

" _Shoot."_ Replied the cheerful voice.

"How is Kacchan at work?" He asked. "What's his attitude?"

" _Huh. Tough question. Want me to be honest about it?"_

"As much as you can, please."

" _Okay. Well, he keeps to himself. He does excellent work but he doesn't talk much and he's not close to anyone. He's been working here for six months, but when we try approaching him, he gets pissed for no reason and tells us to fuck off, you know."_

Izuku sweat dropped. That was Kacchan alright.

" _It comes in useful when gangs and stuff come messin' with us. But you know, I don't think he's rotten. He's an asshole that in real need of chill pills, but he's not bad. I think he just doesn't know how to talk to people."_

"You're surprisingly nice to someone who probably threatened to rip your head off more than once."

" _Bah, he's all talk. And it's not like I can't take care of myself."_ Brushed off the guy on the other side of the line. _"I'm sure somethin' eating at him from the inside. I got no clue what though. All he needs is the right person to show him a little light, you know."_ He let out a little laugh before speaking again. _"Sorry, I'm babbling. Seriously though, I'm kinda glad he has an actual friend out there. Listen, I gotta go. I still have work to do. I'll tell the boss about Bakugo."_

"Thank you Kirishima." Said the green-haired lad.

"No problem. See ya around, Midorya!"

The call ended. This Kirishima guy seemed like a joyous fellow. If Katsuki had people like him at work, it was good. First his work got him away from HELLGATE and he had good company. The therapist threw a glance at the still sleeping Katsuki, before letting himself fall on the black couch against the wall. Instruments on one side, music sheets scattered everywhere... This was probably where he sat when he made his music. Izuku picked up the sheets and looked at them. After looking through a couple, he realized that they all had harsh themes. Monster (Skillet), Poison (Alice Cooper), Point of no return (Starset), Control (Halsey)... The green-haired lad had heard from his art therapist colleagues that music can be an indicator of inner state. Especially for a musician. All these songs gave Izuku a feeling of being trapped, caged by something bigger. He kept looking through the sheets until he grabbed a paper that didn't seem to have anything music related on it. Instead, there were a bunch of numbers. Additions and subtractions. The numbers were big though. It went up to millions! Izuku had seen this before. It was just like the debt notebooks confiscated to gambling addicts at the center. He wanted to slap himself. Of course! That was it. The reason Katsuki stayed here and worked for a dealer. He needed money!

'Wait... does that mean that Kacchan went from drug abuse to gambling? That's an unusual change. Besides, he doesn't have time to gamble. He has two jobs. No it's too unusual. There's more to it.'

Izuku looked at the paper with the numbers again. On half of the page were only additions. And on the other side. The sums were subtracted from a big number at the top of the page. That must have been the giant debt. But what could Katsuki have done to end up with a debt as massive as this?

"Was that what he meant when he said he screwed up?" Wondered the therapist.

The perplexed lad started separating the music sheets from the rest. He found a total of three sheets filled with numbers written in pencil. Where could this have come from? The singer's phone suddenly vibrated again. However, this time the caller ID was SOB.

'This has got to be Tomura.' Thought Izuku. 'Today is Wednesday, so Kacchan shouldn't be singing. He'd probably just ignore the call.'

This was exactly what the therapist did. He kept looking through the papers until his own phone started ringing. After checking the caller ID he pressed the answer button.

"Hey Ochako. Do you have the results?"

" _Yeah, I do. They're negative._ " She said with a cheerful tone. " _No signs of recent drug use. I sent you a text, but I thought it'd be better to call you._ "

The green-haired lad sighed in relief. He was suspecting the results would turn out negative but he was glad to hear it confirmed. "Thank goodness. I think I know why he's here Ochako."

" _Really?_ "

"He has an enormous debt but I don't know what it relates to. He doesn't have time to gamble so that can't be it. Besides from what I'm reading the numbers are only going down."

" _So he's making money but not spending it..." Said the girl, thinking out loud. "Are his instruments worth much?_ "

"I don't know... maybe. I'll have to dig in more. Thank you Ochako."

" _Are you gonna stay there for the night?_ "

"Yeah. He won't take care of himself on his own."

" _Geez, he's just like a kid._ " Replied the nurse. " _Well make sure he eats. And if his fever hasn't gone down by morning, he needs to see a doctor._ "

"Alright. I love you."

" _I love you too my hero. Be careful. I'll see you tomorrow._ "

Izuku hung up and looked at the papers once more. The only thing he got from it was that the debt was of approximately 9 million yen. What in the world could he have done that was worth that much money? But considering his level of pride, there was no way he'd let friends let alone his parent's help. But if Izuku could just figure out what this debt was, he might just also figure out what broke the explosive singer. Izuku suddenly let out a loud yawn and glanced at his clock. It was ten o'clock now. Katsuki didn't look like he was finished sleeping. Good, because he needed to rest. But so did the therapist. His eyelids were starting to become heavy.

'I'll close my eyes for a bit...' He thought, only to surrender to sleep completely.

The next morning, when Izuku woke up, the first rays of the sun were barely starting to come out. The green-haired lad looked at his watch. 7:19am. He stretched and walked over to the singer's bed. He took off the now useless cooling pad off the blond's forehead and placed Ochako thermometer under his armpit, like she had the day before. His fever had dropped down to 38.1 degrees celsius, that was a relief. The sleep had done some good. But he'd probably be starving when he woke up. His own stomach growled loudly at the thought of food. The therapist moved over to the kitchen area and made himself a quick and easy breakfast consisting of two eggs and some spinach leaves. While he ate at the table, he took out his phone and looked at his messages and emails. Most were from work but nothing major. After he finished eating, he placed his plate in the sink and left his phone on the table before going back to the low table where he'd sorted out the sheets. But before he could go back to his brain storming, heavy footsteps suddenly resonated in the hall. A few seconds later, three loud knocks banged on the door.

"Nitro!" Called a familiar raspy voice. "I know you're in there. Open up."

Izuku clenched his teeth. He hadn't anticipated the fact that the boss of HELLGATE would show up here. How could he have been so stupid? Surely the man that had sent two thugs to beat him up wouldn't pass another opportunity. He might actually finish the job this time. The green-haired lad quickly scattered the papers on the table and jumped behind the couch to hide. After some more pounding, the door opened, and Izuku cursed himself for not locking the door. The footsteps echoes in the room.

"Wow, it's clean in here." Commented the dealer. "I can't believe you actually bothered. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you got a wife. Come on lazy ass, time to get up." As Katsuki didn't respond, the thug walked closer to the bed. "Are you listening to me?"

"Fuck off..." Responded the half awakened voice. "You better have a damn good explanation for waking me up. If not, I'm throwing you out the window."

"Is that a cooling pad? Did you catch a fever?"

"Keep your dirty hands of me, sicko." Protested the singer. Izuku assumed that he'd pushed him away. "Why the hell are you even here?"

"Well you didn't show up for the meeting yesterday so I came by to give you next week's program." The hiding lad heard the sound of a sheet of paper being passed. "You clearly need to take a break, so I'll cancel the show for this evening."

"I don't need a break!"

"Don't worry, you'll still get paid. But I really need you in top shape for next week. Take it as a generous donation from your boss."

"Donation, my ass" Growled the explosive lad. "Get out of here before I rip your ugly face off!"

"I'm leaving, I'm leaving. Take care." Replied Tomura, his footsteps slowly pacing away.

Izuku waited for the door to close to breath again. That was way too close. Katsuki rubbed the back of his head, as if he was still trying to wake up. He looked around wondering what the hell had happened.

"Good morning Kacchan." Said Izuku, stepping out from behind the couch.

The ash blond almost jumped out of his skin and let out a cry of surprise. "God damn it! Deku?!"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. But I think it would be better for the both of us if Shigaraki didn't know I was here."

"What the hell are you doing in my apartment, you creepy nerd face? I swear to God if you're stalking me..."

"What do you mean what?" Asked Deku, innocently. "Don't you remember what happened yesterday?"

"I wouldn't be asking if I did, dumbass!"

"You slept almost nineteen hours, Kacchan. I came to see you. I found you drunk on the floor and you collapsed. Your fever is still high, you should rest some more."

"No wonder I'm starving." Katsuki suddenly brought his hand to his head, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. "Fucking headache."

The therapist walked over to the kitchen area and filled a glass of water. "That's what happens when you have a hangover and a fever at the same time. Here take this. They're pain killers."

Instead of taking the glass and the small box, the singer threw an angry and suspicious look at the therapist. Izuku sighed in response and hit the blond on the head. "Ow! Do you want to die you damn nerd?! What the hell?!"

"Stop looking at me like I'm trying to poison you." Said Izuku, throwing him an annoyed glare. "Take the damn pill or I'll shove it down your throat." He threatened, before angrily pacing towards the kitchen. "Even I can take you on in your state."

That last comment made the singer's eyes widen in shock. Either the nerd was in a very bad mood or he really thought the blond was too sick to give him a beating. Didn't matter though he was right. His head was pounding like a drum. He took the pain killer and swallowed it. Katsuki then realized what Tomura had meant by clean. The room was almost shinning. Not a single piece of paper or of clothing was on the floor.

"Ochako helped me tidy up your place." Explained Izuku as he broke an egg into the pan.

"You and your girlfriend are clean freaks?"

"I couldn't care less about your mess and cleaning habits." Simply replied the therapist ignoring the insult. "It was way too filthy for you to recover properly. Ochako is a nurse remember?"

"And you felt the need to stay and babysit me because..."

"Because you're a mule Kacchan. I knew that you'd brush it of as nothing and wouldn't take care of yourself."

"What the hell do you know?!"

"I know that much! Tell me I'm wrong!"

The red eyed lad clenched his teeth together, throwing a murderous glare at the therapist. But he found nothing to say. His head was hurting him too much and he was so hungry that he was overwhelmed by dizziness. He tried getting up but the instant he was on his feet, it felt like his head weighed a ton and he fell down.

"Kacchan!" Exclaimed Izuku turning off the plates and abandoning the pan.

He ran to the singer's side and pulled him up to his feet. But Katsuki roughly pushed him away. "Go away, Deku." He ordered.

The shorter of the two let out a frustrated growl, before crossing his arms over his chest. "No."

"What?"

"I'm not going any where until we talk. For real this time."

"Not this again. What is your problem? Do you expect a thank you for invading my apartment and playing babysitter with me?"

"No, I expect you to recover quickly." Retorted Izuku. "So stop being an ass about it and let me help. Look at you! You can't even stand up right!"

The foul-mouthed lad was about to spat out some acid-coated words for the therapist but a strong dizziness invaded him and he had to sit back on his bed to avoid falling. Izuku, thinking that it would be enough to calm him down returned to the kitchen and place the eggs in a plate.

"Eat. Then we talk." Ordered the scrawniest of the two.

Katsuki couldn't believe it. Deku had never (and never here meant never) ever talked back to him or even risked picking a fight unless his former classmate was beating up someone else. When did he grow a spine? The singer wiped the sweat off his face with his hand.

"Just what do you want Deku?"

"I already told you : I want you to recover and then I want to talk." Replied the therapist.

"Why?"

"Because I'm worried about you Kacchan."

"Don't give me that crap." Growled the singer at the green-haired lad. "You and I are not friends, Deku! So what motivates you to do this for someone you hate anyways?"

Izuku froze at the cold words that were spat at him. Something boiled inside him. All his professionalism suddenly left him. He was tired of this. He'd tried to apply his work technics with him, and in that moment he realized that it was useless. Katsuki was not his patient, not even close. But he was equally mad at himself than at the singer. He was a pig-headed guy with a sharp tongue, a foul mouth and apparently no common sense.

"We may not be friends from your point of view, but I don't abandon anyone. This place is destroying you Kacchan, and you know that better than me. Anyone can tell that you hate it here. Shigaraki certainly knows."

"So that's it huh?" Replied Katsuki, an evil smirk stretching across his face. "You want to 'help' to satisfy your own ego and make yourself feel better. You selfish prick."

"Hello pot, my name is kettle." Retorted the therapist, ironically.

"Shut up! I'm not some damsel in distress that needs rescuing, Deku. I don't need anyone's help. I can deal with my problems myself and you're the last person that should be putting your nerd nose into it!"

"I know you were a junkie Kacchan."

Once again, the singer froze on the spot and for the first time let utter shock show on his face. Izuku expected him to recover quickly as usual, get even angrier and insult him again and telling him it wasn't any of his business. But he remained frozen and staring at the therapist. So Izuku continued.

"I saw your toes. What was it? Heroine?" Katsuki didn't reply but his frowning returned. There was clear discomfort on his face and he kept on staring at the green-haired lad. "You really are amazing you know. I've never met anyone who'd gotten out of a crack addiction on their own."

"How d'you know I'm not using anymore?"

"I work with junkies, remember? My eyes are trained to recognize signs of addiction. And I haven't picked up a single one on you. I'm serious, I can't get over how amazing you are."

"Stop saying that all the goddam time." Growled the singer turning his gaze towards the floor. "Why can't you just stop bugging me you damn insect?"

"Because I don't call working for a dealer a way to deal with your problems." Explained Izuku before bringing the plate and a fork to the blond. "I think I figured out how it works. You're the bait. You and your music attract the people from the neighborhood and Shigaraki and his gang sell them drugs."

"..."

Katsuki didn't even try to reply. His head was hurting him too much and he couldn't think clearly. Damn it! If Tomura figured out Deku found them out, he'd kill him for sure.

"You're not an idiot, you knew that." Continued the therapist. "And having your music used like that... must be unbearable."

"What the hell do you know?"

"I know that nobody uses Katsuki Bakugo and that he doesn't use anyone. You're too much of an egotistical jerk for that."

"I GET IT!" Suddenly shouted the sick man. "I'M A PIECE OF SHIT! HAPPY NOW?"

Izuku hesitated a moment before continuing. "There's no way the old you would ever say that. You told me something when you were drunk Kacchan. And I'm not sure I understood."

"What?"

"You said you tried but that you screwed up."

Katsuki brought his hand to his face again and covered it. The nerd just wouldn't leave him alone will he? No matter how hard he tried to push the annoying bug away, he always came back wanting to know more... why the hell did he care so much? The singer couldn't remember ever being nice to him. So why? He remembered the scrawny green-haired brat following him around all the time. He never knew why either. Maybe it was the same now.

"And just so you know, I don't hate you Kacchan."

"Well you should you dumbass! Cause I hate your guts more than anything!"

Instead of retorting, Izuku smiled. That same idiotic smile he had when he was a kid and talked about becoming a superhero. "I know. Still... you'd be lonely without me around, right?"

"Tch. You're so damn full of yourself."

"I don't want to hear that from you."

Katsuki let out a loud sigh and looked at the ground for a long moment. So long that Izuku wondered if he'd fallen asleep.

"Hum, Kacchan?"

"... I didn't even complete a single year in college."

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "Huh?"

* * *

 **Oh? Is Kacchan finally gonna open up a little?**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. His demons

**Hey guys! Here's chapter five!**

 **ENJOY!**

* * *

"... I didn't even complete a single year of college."

Izuku's eyes widened in shock. "Huh?"

"You heard me."

The therapist stayed frozen for a moment. Was the egomaniac's shell finally cracking? It felt like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders. Katsuki was sick though, so he might be a little more willing than usual. But still it was a great opportunity. However, instead of jumping on it, Izuku smiled and handed the singer the plate he was carrying.

"Eat first. Then we talk." He said.

The blond didn't complain and ate the eggs quickly, to make his stomach stop growling like a lion. While he did that, Izuku went to the small storage cupboard to get another cooling pad. After eating, Katsuki took a quick shower to wash off the sweat before coming back to his bed and laying down. Damn was his head hurting him. Not as much as before though. The painkiller was having some effect. Still, his forehead was so hot, he could probably fry an egg on it. After placing another cooling pad on it he sighed and glanced at the green-haired nerd that was finishing washing his dishes.

"Why do you bother?" He asked.

"Cause you're not gonna do it." Replied Izuku. "Alright, I'm done."

An evil grin managed to make it's way to the blond's face. "I think I know why your girlfriend agreed to date a nerd like you."

"Shut up, Kacchan." Retorted the shorter lad, offended. "At least, I have a better hygiene than you. Cleaning your place is the minimum you could do. Oh that's right. Someone from your job named Kirishima called to check up on you. I told them you'd probably take a few days off to rest."

"Spiky-haired bastard?" Said Katsuki before sighing. "In level of annoyance, he almost equals you."

"Will you drop it?"

Izuku joined the foul-mouthed singer and sat on the floor next to the bed, while Katsuki just stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. The therapist didn't dare speak, but feared that the blond had changed his mind about opening up. But after a few slow minutes, he finally spoke.

"Why the hell do you stick to someone like me Deku?"

"Why do you always ask that question Kacchan?"

"Cause you'd have to be out of your damn mind to want to be friends with a junkie. Well, I guess in a way it suits you. You're a weirdo."

Instead of taking offense, this time Izuku smiled. "You've got this backwards Kacchan. I don't want to be friends with a junkie. It's just that my friend happens to have become a junkie and I want to know why. So I can make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Your friend huh?" Simply said the singer, eying the ceiling. Izuku had half-expected him to shout back about them not being friends.

"Tell me what happened Kacchan." He said.

Katsuki looked at him. That last sentence sounded like a mixture of an order and a plea. He'd already decided to give in. After all what would it change if Deku knew? Absolutely nothing. At least that's what he thought. His existence was already reduced to almost nothing. There was no way a story would change that, so what did he have to loose? Besides it would get the green-haired pest out of his hair. So why the hell was he so hesitant? Deku already knew that he'd been a junkie and even that didn't make him run away. There was nothing to be scared of. It seemed that he'd been quiet for too long, because Izuku was the first to speak.

"After high school, you went to Yokohama's Academy of Musical Arts."

Katsuki's eyes widened. "How the hell d'you know that?"

"Uh, you were boasting about it when you got accepted? The whole school knew." Said Izuku, making sure the obvious could be heard in his tone. "It's the best one in the whole country. So why didn't you complete a single year?"

"..."

Izuku had his own theory, but he wanted the singer to say it. In their crappy neighborhood, no one was good enough to compete against Katsuki. He was talent incarnated, and no one ever bested him in a single field. School, sports, music even board games. He'd even been accepted in a top notch university too. But when he'd arrived there …

"I worked my ass off on every damn assignment I was given. I'd even forget to eat and sleep so that everything would be perfect. And it just wasn't good enough for those assholes..."

Being at the top and then suddenly becoming average... for someone with an ego as big as Katsuki Bakugo, that must've been horrible and crushing.

"But I knew my music was better. And that's not ego talking, I just know I'm good. So why should I care about what old geezers who know nothing about today's music think? All I needed was for real musicians and big agencies to see me."

'Ego.' Thought Izuku sweat-dropping.

"So I stopped caring about assignments, and focused on my own music instead. I founded a band and we started living the night you know, just going around playing our music. It felt good to mess around."

"You neglected your studies?"

"Na, no one noticed since I was good and I didn't give a fuck anyways. Hey, pass me my cigarettes."

"You shouldn't smoke in bed."

"Just give me the damn pack Deku."

The therapist walked over to the couch and grabbed the pack and lighter that were there. The music sheets reminded him of what else was on that low table. Izuku grabbed the paper as well and stuffed it into his pocket. He returned to the bed. Katsuki sat up and lit a cigarette. The tension in his muscles was clearly visible. Izuku's keen eyes didn't miss it : the crucial information was about to be revealed. The real reason why Katsuki was doing this to himself.

"The day we practiced for the finals, we had to present a piece. I worked eight months on the one we did. The guy who watched us at the practice test told us it was crap and that it was better if we did another. It really pissed me off. So I worked on it like a maniac for the next two month. And on the finals, we were disqualified."

"What? That's not possible!" Exclaimed Izuku, shocked. "Your music is so awesome!"

"I went to see the judge. The bastard told me that arranging a song wasn't the same as writing it."

The logic buckle clicked in the therapist's head. "Someone stole your music."

Katsuki nodded. "The guy who made us pass the practice test was a scout for an agency called TMH. Remember my bitch ex?"

"Yeah?"

"She was his niece. She used that song for her debut."

Izuku's heart tightened in his chest. He'd never imagined Kacchan had been the victim of theft. The singer waited a moment before talking again. "I was so pissed. I went to that agency to find the bastard. I didn't give a damn. I wanted to find that asshole and make him pay for stealing from me. I was gonna hurt him and enjoy it!" Anger was visible on his face as he said that.

"Did you beat him up?" Said Izuku, certain that Katsuki hadn't hesitate.

To be honest it wasn't surprising at all, but that's something that could have caused him to be banned from the music industry forever, especially if the guy was seriously injured. There's a limit to what people can tolerate when speaking of bad temper, even for prodigies.

"He's not the one I ended up hurting." He took a deep breath before speaking again. "The keyboardist from my band came with me that day. A scrawny kid, that wasn't half bad. He got between me and the asshole."

"What happened?"

"He fell down a flight of stairs after I punched him in the face. He ended up in the hospital with a dislocated jaw and two broken hands."

"No head trauma? That's a relief."

"Not the problem, dumbass." He replied without raising his voice. "For a musician, breaking your hands is the worst possible thing. The injury was so bad he couldn't finish the year. He dropped out a week later. No one in the band had seen him since the hospital or knew how to find him. He just disappeared. I learned some time later that he tried to jump off a bridge."

The singer stopped talking. He smoked his cigarette quietly and stared at nothing in particular. Izuku observed his face. Everything was showing on his face now. The turmoil inside had been brought out. Anger, rage, guilt, sadness... The therapist's hunch had been on point from the start. Keeping this flow of negativity inside and ruminating on it for four years? No wonder the blond was the way he was now. It was so clear. He hated himself. For a moment Izuku found it strange. Katsuki had been the cause of a lot of injuries in the past since he fought a lot in high school. But this one had affected him to the point where he was that mess of depression and self-loathing. There could be two reasons for that. Either Katsuki understood him because he couldn't imagine what himself would do if he lost his ability to play... or he really considered him a friend.

"Who knows? Maybe now he actually did it..." Muttered the singer before bringing the cigarette to his mouth again.

"You don't know that." Said Izuku.

He scoffed. "Might as well have pushed him myself."

"Don't say stuff like that!" Suddenly shouted Izuku, earning himself the surprised look of the singer. "You're not a murderer Kacchan."

"What the hell do you know?" Growled the singer, throwing him a murderous glare.

The therapist got to his feet and grabbed the blond by the collar. "Did you mean to push him down those stairs? Did you laugh when he got hurt? Did you leave him there to bleed? Well did you?"

The singer didn't reply but frowned and looked away. To him it made no difference, he might as well have done all of this. Tired of not getting an answer or a reaction, the therapist decided to push his buttons further.

"What did you do after that?" He asked, releasing him.

"You know already."

"I want to hear it from you. So I don't get the wrong idea."

Katsuki sighed. "I wandered around, spending my time getting drunk and picking fights. It helped clear my mind, y'know? One night I ended up in a shady club. I was in a corner minding my own business, listening to the shitty music they were playing. And I saw a bunch of guys giving heroine injections to other people that paid them. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was going on. One of the guys caught me looking and they came to ask what I was doing here."

"I know." Said Izuku. "They do that when they think undercover cops are spying on them."

"I was wasted and I didn't want to fight. I told them to fuck off and they said they'd leave me alone after they were sure that I wasn't a cop."

"They forced you to take a shot?"

"Forced? Na."

"How long did you take it?"

"Two years and a half, maybe."

"What made you stop?"

"I'd stopped playing for a while, and then I realized how terrible my music sounded. I hated it. Just holding my guitar was a pain in the ass. I was shaking all the time. It freaked me out. I didn't give a shit about anything anymore but …. it was my music, damn it!" This time, anger took over. "I could give up anything, but not that! It was the only good thing I ever brought to this rotten world!"

'The last thing he could hold on to.' Thought Izuku. "You decided to stop just like that, then?"

"Yeah."

"But how did you deal with the PAWS*?"

"I endured."

"You're crazy, Kacchan."

"D'you know a lot of junkies who go to the hospital when they experience withdrawal?"

"No, they go to their dealers for another dose."

"The worst were the muscle spasms. I got those about five times a week and after a year they stopped. I still have chills and insomnia sometimes. But the spasms are gone. Then that bastard found me."

"Shigaraki?"

"He said he was opening a club and wanted a talented musician. God knows where he heard about me and how he found me." Katsuki blew the smoke out of his lungs one more time. "There you have it Deku. Story of my life."

The green-haired lad looked at the ground and remained quiet. So that was it. Who would ever have thought that Katsuki Bakugo would end up like this? He was so damaged. By drug abuse, by emotional trauma, guilt and he forbade himself to get anything he wanted. He kept up appearances, but Izuku had finally figured out that there wasn't that much left of that pompous ego. And the only thread still holding him up was his music.

Katsuki eyed the scrawny lad. What was he expecting? He knew that telling Deku wouldn't change shit. So why was he so worried about the nerd's next words? He didn't want his pity, but he could do without his judgment either. He suddenly regretted telling him all of this. No one could do anything. And maybe it was better this way. The singer could guess what would happen. Everything would go back to how it was before the damn nerd showed his face here. He'd go back to being Tomura's pawn. And he'd keep ignoring the people around, letting himself drown in his music that was the only thing he allowed himself to have. There was no escape route. So he'd drown, and drown in his music until he became numb to everything else... He raised his head when the therapist finally moved and took a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Are those your debt to your dealer?"

Katsuki snatched the paper from his hand shoved it in his pocket quickly. "Stop looking through my stuff, you damn nerd!"

"I found it when I was cleaning your … music corner. What can you possibly have done that costs you 9 million yen?"

"I never had trouble paying." He mumbled. "It's for my old man and old lady."

"You used their money to pay for your drugs? How did you manage to get it without them noticing?"

"Use your brain Deku." Growled the singer before rolling his eyes.

"Oh." Let out the therapist when he realized. "You didn't tell them you dropped out. So your money came from your unpaid tuition fee."

"Well done, genius."

"But was your fee really 9 million? That seems a little expensive..."

"I need to pay back my keyboardist's parents for the medical bills. They aren't exactly rich."

"It's still too much. What's the rest for?"

"None of your business."

"Kacchan!" Snapped the therapist exasperated. "Really?!"

"Okay, fine. It was for my folks too."

"Why would you give them extra?"

"..."

The singer looked away and didn't reply. The therapist had pretty much guessed why, but he himself felt uncomfortable thinking about it. Something like this... sure it happened. He was well placed to know that, but... to Katsuki? It seemed impossible. Izuku clenched his fists and teeth, as something started to boil in his veins. The green-haired lad took a step closer to the singer. But just as the blond singer looked up, a fist crashed against his cheek and sent him falling off his bed on the other side. Katsuki quickly got back to his feet and stared at the scrawny guy in front of him. Normally, if anyone dared to punch him like that, he'd beat them to a bloody pulp until at least a bone broke. But this was nerdy Deku! All he could do was stare at him, no believing what had just happened. The therapist's face was twisted with anger.

"You're an idiot Kacchan...

The blond, finally over the initial punch, frowned angrily at him. "What did you say to me you bastard ..." He started as he got back to his feet.

"How can you even think for one second that money can replace you in your parents's eyes, you moron?!"

Katsuki froze again. How was the nerd doing that? He saw right through him again, without him telling him anything. His head was pounding like a drum even more than before. Man, did this guy piss him off! Why was he overthinking all of this? It didn't change, no, shouldn't change a thing that Deku knew. So why the hell was he so angry?

"What the hell would you know, huh?!" He shouted punching the wall behind him. "You've always been the good kid everyone liked! You didn't take your mom's cash and went wild ! You don't know what it's like to be a disappointment! You got a job and a life, and she's damn proud of you for it! I didn't do any of that! I didn't change at all. Look at me..." He shouted all of that while shaking with rage. "I'M STILL THE SHIT SON I'VE ALWAYS BEEN!"

"And you think throwing yourself under a train is going to solve everything?" Said Izuku who had managed to contain his anger a bit. "You're a coward."

"What?" Growled the singer who now had the eyes of an angry wolf.

"You heard me! Suicide is the coward's way out!" He shouted, trying to match the anger on the singer's face. "It's easy, isn't it Kacchan? So much easier than to apologize! So much easier than to ask for the help you know you need! Is your ego so big that you'd rather jump off a bridge rather than be humble for once in your entire existence? Or maybe you just think everyone else is so beneath you that no one is good enough to help you. Well, screw you!"

Who was this guy? Katsuki didn't know the person in front of him. It wasn't Deku, the scrawny little kid that used to follow him around everywhere and idolized him. But it wasn't the therapist Izuku. Even he knew that wasn't anything near a professional attitude. Who was that? All he knew was that that Deku pissed him off! Something inside his chest was starting to annoy him, but at the same time it was familiar.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Shouted the singer.

A grin suddenly appeared on Izuku's face. A madman like smirk. "I guess you're not so great after all Kacchan. Actually, you're right. You're not worth it. Everything related to you should just disappear shouldn't it?" Said the therapist earning himself once more the surprised eyes of the singer.

The therapist didn't stop there. Ochako had left her bag with her medical stuff here just in case. Izuku grabbed the plastic bottle containing a transparent liquid and the lighter on the bed. He quickly made his way to the low table where the music sheets were scattered. He emptied the bottle on the papers, before grabbing a dry one. He turned to face the singer.

"DEKU WHAT THE HELL?" Shouted the panicked singer. "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"Crazy? No, Kacchan. I'm only doing what you so deeply desire. I'm helping you disappear. Cause it seems like you can't do that on your own either." The therapist turned on the lighter and brought it closer to the sheet.

"LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DAMN IT!"

The therapist didn't reply and set the dry piece of paper on fire before holding it over the sheets wet with alcohol. That's when Katsuki noticed that his shirt was wet as well. He must have spilled some alcohol on himself by accident. But before he could say anything Izuku dropped the burning piece of paper over the table. The singer dashed forward crossing from one side of the room to the other faster than he ever had, as the adrenaline pumped through his body. He grabbed the therapist by the collar and threw him away from the table so violently that Izuku landed face first on the floor. Katsuki then looked at the low table expecting to find all his music sheets on fire. But instead, the burning piece of paper's fire disappeared when it came in contact with the wet sheets. Katsuki turned to the green-haired lad that had started laughing on the ground. His anger returned in an instant and he kicked the therapist in the side.

"YOU BASTARD, WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT? QUIT LAUGHING AND EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"

"It's annoying isn't it Kacchan?"

"What is?"

"When you know you're right and non one listens to you?"

Any thought in his head and acid-coated words in his throat died away as the logic buckle finally clicked in the singer's mind. So, that was all a set up? Izuku rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling before sighing loudly.

"I'm sorry Kacchan. But that was the only thing I could think of to get to you."

Katsuki realized at that he couldn't feel his legs anymore, and so let himself sit on the floor. He wiped the sweat off his face with one hand. "You're a fucking idiot, Deku."

"What else was I suppose to do to get through your massive ego?"

Instead of receiving the insult he was expecting, Izuku's eyes widened when he realized the singer was laughing. Laughing his heart out. Like all the tension from the past four years was finally being released. Katsuki didn't realize it yet, but his head had stopped hurting him. "You're not right in the head, you know that? Are you like that with all your junkies?"

"No. It's the first time I had to go this far. You're the most stubborn person I've ever met. And you're not my patient Kacchan." Izuku sat up and looked at the singer with stubborn eyes. "I listened to you. Are you willing to listen to me now that you've pulled your head out of your ass?"

Once more, surprise showed on the singer's face and he sighed. Swearing really didn't suit Deku. He must've been pretty fed up with his shit. Katsuki sighed. "Even if I say no, you won't leave me alone until I do." Growled the singer.

Izuku knew that it was the nicest way he knew how to say yes, so he smiled.

* * *

 **HELLGATE**

Tomura Shigaraki was sitting in the couch of the room, going through the black phone he was holding. To be precise, it was the one he had picked up on Nitro's kitchen table. And he knew that it didn't belong to the singer.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" He muttered with his raspy voice as a nasty grin stretched out across his face.

* * *

*PAWS : Post Acute Withdrawal Symptoms

* * *

 **WARNING : I'm getting a BA this year, meaning i have a lot of work, especially now. It's very unlikely that I'll be able to write another chapter before April. Sorry guys. I promise I'll finish this story though. In the meantime, take care of yourselves. ;) See ya!**


	6. To pieces

**Well, I said I'd be back in April! And for the person who asked, no, I did not get the name HELLGATE from Six of Crows.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Well Kacchan. What do you say?"

Izuku was now sitting on the floor, facing the couch of Katsuki's music corner, on the other side of the table still covered by music sheets. The singer was in his couch, staring at the table in front of him. He'd slept some more after his talk with the therapist and his fever had dropped considerably. His head was clearer now, and he was replaying in his mind the conversation he had earlier with the nerd. No way he would ever admit it to Izuku's face, but... he felt lighter now. Before, whenever he'd do anything, he'd have to drag himself around like he carrying dead weight. Now he felt like he could walk without struggling. Nothing was fixed. But for once, there was a little light in his messed up and worthless existence. No matter how scrawny it seemed, it was there. But at the same time, he felt like it was too good to be true.

"I don't know Deku..."

The therapist breathed in through his nose and sighed loudly. "Well, I won't force you. Not that I could if I tried. But I won't give up either."

It was the singer's turn to sighed. "Guess that means I can expect some more annoyance."

The green-haired lad smiled, teeth out. He was happy to have been able to open a door for his friend. Now that he made sure Katsuki knew that it was there, all he had to do was wait for him to step through it. And he was more than confident that the blond singer would. Maybe not today, but definitely someday. At last, he'd been able to place a little hope, however small, in the heart of his wounded childhood friend.

"It's good that your fever's gone down. Try to eat something with a lot of protein and veggies."

"What are you, my mom?" Growled the singer.

"I might as well be in this situation. You're acting like a spoiled brat."

"Deku..." Said the singer menacingly, as his eyebrow twitched. He clenched his fist and an angry vein popped on his forehead.

Izuku felt the growing anger and decided it was best not to piss him off, given he'd already managed to get this far with him. "I-I was just kidding. But really though, you should take better care of yourself."

"Speaking of, are you ditching work to give me a pep talk?"

"Please, I'm not that bored." Joked Izuku. "I'm kidding, but no don't worry. I have to work this afternoon though, so I should probably go. Just think about all of it Kacchan."

"Yeah, yeah." Brushed off the singer, as if he didn't care.

"See you soon, Kacchan."

The therapist started heading towards the door when Katsuki called out to him. "Wait up Deku, it's quicker this way." He walked over to the window and opened it before stepping out on the fire escape outside. "It'll save you five minutes going around the building."

"Somehow, I get the feeling that this is your usual way of exiting." Commented Izuku, as he stepped out as well.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't know. It suits your wild dog personality."

"Shut the hell up you damn nerd." He growled back, before heading down the metal stairs.

The therapist followed him, uncertain in his steps. Katsuki seemed to have the balance of a cat but Izuku kept any comment to himself, feeling that he'd already exceeded his limits of teasing the blond for the day. Both young men headed down the five floors their discussion mostly being about Izuku's work.

"Hey Deku. Do you … do you treat a lot of people like me?" Getting that sentence out of his mouth seemed like torture.

"You mean junkies? I have a lot of those..."

"Not junkies."

"Oh." Said the green-haired lad, realizing. "I've had a couple yes. But you know, I've only been working for about a year. Heavy cases like those are mostly taken on by long time psychologists and therapists. But I'll get more and more. There are a lot of them at the center."

"The Almight center right? That place is pretty famous in the entire region for making miracles happen or something... They've gotta keep records right?"

Izuku paused for a minute, wondering why Katsuki was so talkative now. Then he understood. "What's his name?" He asked instead of answering.

"Minoru Mineta..." Said the singer, not even reacting to Deku's mind reading anymore. "Short ass guy with weird hair. Oh yeah, and a total perv. Should be a year younger than you."

It was rare for Katsuki to remember people he didn't frequently interact with, and even if he knew their faces, their names was another story. But that one name must have been haunting him for a while now.

"I'll see if I can find something." Said the therapist smiling. "Actually, I can call Ochako now and have her check it … ah crap. I must have left my cellphone on your kitchen table."

"You sure? I didn't see it."

"No offense Kacchan, but I doubt your observing capacities when you have a hangover on top of a fever." Said Izuku, smiling nervously.

"You're getting on my last nerve nerd face! Don't think you can make a habit of messin' with me!"

"C-calm down, Kacchan. I was just joking."

"Whatever." Growled back the musician. "Stay here, I'll go get it."

"No need for that, Nitro." Said a hoarse voice, coming from under them. Shivers travelled up Izuku's spine and he looked down. The two of them were on the last emergency staircase before they could reach the ground. In the dirty court, were standing Tomura Shigaraki as well as the two guys that had jumped the therapist some time ago. The green-haired lad started to panic inside, sensing the no-good intentions coming from the dealer who was grinning evilly at him. Katsuki hadn't failed to notice the nerd's nervousness. Then again,he had a reason to be. Their first encounter had landed him an a hospital for a week. His fingers were still tapped together and healing.

"Well, hello again... Deku." Said the dealer smiling at the therapist.

That nickname had been created to be an insult. But Izuku carried like a real nickname that only came out of the ash blond's mouth. That guy saying it … it felt disgusting. Katsuki went down two more stairs, placing himself between the dealer and Izuku. Man did he hate that guy. He threw him the nastiest glare he had in store.

"The fuck do you want, bastard?"

"Oh hi Nitro." Said Tomura as if he'd just noticed him. "Well as usual I'm looking out for you. And like I said, it's pointless going back up there." He pulled something out of his pocket and showed the cellphone to the two boys. "Because what you're looking for is right here."

"That's mine!" Snapped Izuku, but too untrusting to take a step.

"I know. You have such an interesting life, Izuku Midorya. You even have the one and only Toshinori Yagi in your private contacts. I'm almost jealous, but I've met him a couple of times myself. Although it was in a prison cell."

Katsuki walked down the rest of the stairs. "Hand it over, fuckface." He ordered.

"You have a pretty cute girlfriend, Midorya. I might even try to steal her from you." Izuku clenched his fists and threw a hateful glare at the dealer as well. "Oh don't make that face. I'm not actually interested. I just like making them cry."

"Give the cellphone moron." Ordered Katsuki again. "You make me ask again, I'll break your kneecap."

"Oh and look here Nitro!" Continued Shigaraki. "He's been talking about you a lot to someone. MB. Sounds familiar?" He said before tossing the opened device to the singer.

Izuku's heart almost stopped when the singer looked at the text conversation. After a couple of texts, his eyes widened in shock and even panic. He scrolled up quickly to look at the day of the first text. A month ago. Right about around the time they'd met again.

"Kacchan, I can explain..." Started Izuku walking down the rest of the stairs, but his voice died in his throat when the ash blond slowly turned his head towards him and those red eyes full of anger and even better hate froze him on the spot.

"Not your fucking patient huh?" He said with a voice so low it almost sounded like the growl of an animal.

Katsuki Bakugo was far from an idiot. In fact he'd always been incredibly clever. He was a real genius. So it really didn't take him long to put the pieces together. After a few silent seconds after saying those words, he grabbed Izuku by the collar and threw him against the wall of the building.

"What the fuck are you here for Deku? And don't give me that crap about the club, you knew I was here since the beginning, didn't you?!"

The therapist hesitated a moment, before realizing that it was useless to try and cover it up. It wouldn't work and would only serve to annoy the explosive singer more."That's right. Yeah, I knew. Some people worry about you Kacchan." Said Izuku, trying to get free.

His red eyes widened before he clenched his teeth. Of course it was obvious. MB. Mitsuki Bakugo.

"Damn old lady! Why can't she just mind her own business?" He turned back to Izuku, throwing him a familiar murderous glare. "And she sent you of all people! Are you enjoying this Deku? Huh?! Come to rub your success in my face like you're so damn important now?!"

That was it! Now that was the Kacchan Izuku remembered. There was no mistaking that self-centered ego. That was the one he'd come to help. Why did it all have to turn out like this. Izuku was so mad at himself he could vomit. "I never did that Kacchan! This is about you, not me! I came here because I was worried about you too! Do you really think I would've bothered if I didn't care?"

The enraged young man responded as if he hadn't heard him. "Must have been pretty entertaining, treating me like one of your fucking junkies! Did you enjoy it? Looking down on me like you were some kind of God?! HUH?!"

"I NEVER LOOKED DOWN ON YOU!" Shouted Izuku, who'd reached his breaking point. Tears of frustration escaped his eyes and he clenched his teeth, but he never stopped looking at the singer in the eyes. Katsuki's eyes widened in shock and he froze for a moment. Izuku sniffled before declaring with a calmer voice. "I don't need to. Because... you're amazing! You're talented, determined and when you set your mind to something, nothing stops you! You have everything you need to accomplish anything you want! I've always admired that. But you gave up. After one defeat, you gave up. YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE LOOKING DOWN ON YOURSELF KACCHAN!"

A right hook to the face sent Izuku to the ground with a painful grunt. But he forced himself to look up at his former classmate. "If I ever see your fucking nerd face around here again, I'll kill you myself." He said before dropping the black cell on the ground.

"Kacchan..."

"Go to hell Izuku. And leave me alone."

The singer walked back up the emergency stair case as fast as he could. When he disappeared back inside the building, rain drops started falling. Izuku kept staring at the singer's window. He had no idea how long, but it felt like a long time. Like he was hoping the last few minutes were just a bad dream. The rain drops falling on his face hid the tears of frustration and he finally lowered his head. The thin thread he'd finally been able to connect with his childhood friend had been torn to pieces in the space of a few minutes. His teeth clenched as well as his fists, as the rain was soaking his clothes and hair.

"Damn it..." He cursed.

"Oooh, how tragic." Said the hoarse voice of the man he'd forgotten was there. But honestly, he could care less anymore. "I feel like I'm gonna cry."

Izuku slowly stood up, his hair covering his eyes and still looking at the ground. He picked up his cell and placed it in his pocket. "You got what you wanted. I suppose you're satisfied." He let out, not bothering to look at the dealer.

"Not quite."

Before Izuku could even think of looking up, a powerful punch his him in the stomach, so hard that he almost vomited. The therapist fell to his knees coughing and gasping for hair, only to immediately be brutally grabbed by the hair and made to look up. He felt something cold being pressed against his throat.

"You're a nuisance, Izuku Midorya. I'm a nice guy, I look after my people. And you've been more than pestering my Nitro."

"Your people?" Let out Izuku, as best he could given that the grip in his hair was painful. "Don't joke. Kacchan your pawn and nothing else to you."

"You say that, but have you even stopped to consider what kind of person he is? He'd never fit in anywhere. I'm the only one who can understand him. I'm the only one who can give him a place to be."

This time, the therapist's teeth clenched in anger. "You don't know anything about him! He's not like you and he never will be. For all his foul-mouth, pig-head, ego and stubbornness, you're not even worthy to lick his shoes."

As a response, the green-haired lad got a dark chuckle that turned into a hysterical laughter. "If he's like that, then why did he leave you here alone to the wolves?"

Izuku opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out and he closed it again. Kacchan had indeed left him here alone with the three dangerous dealers. And it really looked like he wasn't coming back. The therapist looked away, an air of sadness in his eyes. One that Shigaraki didn't fail to notice.

"So heartbreaking. Now back to business Mr Midorya. I have a deal for you that'll allow you to walk out of here without a scratch."

"A deal?"

"You're going to leave this place and never return, as well as keep our little activities to yourself. And in exchange, I won't go turn your girlfriend into a pretty bloody doll. You've probably already guessed, but I'm pretty good with a knife."

Izuku's eyes widened in fear. This guy had looked through his cellphone, so not only did he know where Ochako worked, but also where she lived! The smile on the dealer's face widened and he licked his lips when he saw the expression of horror on his captive's face.

"So? Do we have a deal?"

Izuku clenched his teeth one more time before saying. "Fine. You win."

"Glad we've come to an understanding." Said Tomura before letting go off his hair and put away his knife. "For both your sake and your beloved's, let's hope we never cross paths again … Deku."

Once more, he flinched at hearing the nickname pronounced by that man. It really was disturbing. "Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say." Replied the thug shrugging. "Don't underestimate my network. I can make life a living hell for everyone you know, Midorya. So try to keep your end of the deal. Oh and one more thing : tell Todoroki I said hi."

"How did you know..."

"Because I'm not stupid. I have a terrible memory for trivial things, but I knew your name sounded familiar. Then it hit me : one of my pets told me about you."

This guy was the worst piece of scum that Izuku had ever laid eyes on! Forget the fact that he was a dealer, Shigaraki was much more. A sadist, a manipulator and a borderline psychopath! Taking advantage of lost kids and wounded people like that was unforgivable.

"Just a heads up, Midorya... I wouldn't waste too much time on the kid."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he'll come back running to me. After all, I saved him. When I got rid of his father for him."

"SHUT UP!" Finally let out the therapist unable to listen to this nonsense any longer. "It won't happen! Not on my watch!"

The dealer shrugged. "My, my, so you can get mad? How scary." His mile finally faded. "You'll realize soon enough that there are some you'll never be able to save. Get out of here before I decide to change my mind."

Izuku didn't move for a couple of seconds, and stayed under the pouring rain, his eyes throwing daggers at the monster in front of him. He then sighed in disappointment and turned around to walk away. He walked a long time, alone under the rain without passing anyone expect a car from time to time. The disappointment was towards himself. One instant had been sufficient to crush the small glimmer of hope he'd spent an entire month trying to find in his old childhood friend. The pain must have been so unbearable for Kacchan. The pain of betrayal after a glimmer of hope is the absolute worse, especially for someone in his state. Just thinking of how he was feeling right now made Izuku stop in his track and scream as loud as he could in the empty street, where only the sound of the falling rain responded. It his well the tears falling out of his eyes. And with that, he left the worst of shady districts he'd ever stepped in.

* * *

 **Allmight rehab center**

"Midorya, my boy!" Said the booming voice of the founder and chairman of the rehab center, as the door of Izuku's office flew open. The therapist nearly jumped out of his chair as his heart skipped a beat.

"Professor Yagi!" He exclaimed. "Please don't scare me like that sir. I almost had a heart attack."

"Sorry." Aplogized the almost skeleton thin man. "I was in a hurry. But honestly, young Midorya, we have to talk. Can I sit?"

"Of course, Sir." Immediately replied the green-haired lad, turning all if his attention to his mentor.

Toshinori Yagi was an extraordinary gifted man, who'd taken the arts of psychology and therapy to a new level in barely ten years. The center was proof of his success. And when he sought out Izuku for his original (and greatly unappreciated ideas back when he was a student) and offered him to help him finish his studies and offer him a job, Izuku had thought he was dreaming. But there he was, and it was no secret to anyone who worked at the center that this extraordinary man had chosen the scrawny kid to follow in his footsteps and takeover once he'd retire. Just for that, people respected Izuku a lot, especially the patients. And having grown up without a father, Professor Yagi had been more than welcomed in his life. The blond man sat down in a chair facing the therapist and coughed loudly.

"Are you alright Sir?" Asked Izuku, worried. "Do you need me to call the medical center?"

"No, no. Don't worry my boy. I'm fine." Said the older man, wiping his mouth. "I saw the doctor this morning. It's just another lung infection. I'll be fine once the medicine takes effect."

He always brushed it off like that, but the truth was he was gradually getting weaker and weaker. But since he refused to give up or even slow down his work, he became sick a lot. They'd had endless conversations on the subject, so Izuku just sighed and added nothing.

"My boy, I'll be honest. You worry me."

"I worry you?"

"I'm not the only one who's noticed. Miss Uraraka came to see me a few days ago. After that it was young Mina and then young Todoroki. Everyone notices you're not well. I know you're an excellent therapist, but it's not good for the patients to show that you're affected by something else."

"I know that, Sir. I'm really sorry."

"That's not what I want to hear." Insisted the professor, never raising his voice. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"..." The young therapist hesitated. He didn't know if talking about it would make him feel better. But since he concluded that nothing could possibly make it worse, he gave in.

"I've hurt a friend of mine. I tried to help him but I screwed up." He explained.

"That friend... is it young Bakugo?"

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know about Kacchan?"

"Because when we first met and we talked about your childhood, you rarely didn't mention him. Go on."

"Long story short, he believes I betrayed him. That I dug him out of the ground only to kick him in the face. And with the ego he has, it destroyed him. I don't know what to do..."

The older man stared at his disciple for a moment before answering. "You know Midorya, there's something I learned in all my years of practice. It's not possible to save everyone."

"But …"

"Let me finish." He said raising a hand. "We can save the ones that come to us. For some it takes weeks and for some it takes years, but that's what we're here for. But sometimes, they don't want to be save."

"But I saw it in his eyes, professor. I saw that light, he wants to be saved. He just thinks he can't. I really believe he can be helped, but... now I just don't think I'm the right one to help him."

"In that case, who says you had to do it alone?"

"What?"

"Are you the only person in the world that cares about him?"

Izuku's memory suddenly rewinded, going back further and further. _"_

" _It's about Katsuki... I think he's in trouble."_ Said the voice of Mitsuki Bakugo in his memory.

" _He's an asshole that in real need of chill pills, but he's not bad. I think he just doesn't know how to talk to people."_ Said Kirishima's.

" _His name's Minoru Mineta."_ Said Katsuki's voice, remembering someone.

"No. No I'm not." Muttered Izuku.

* * *

 **HELLGATE**

The evening had gone smoothly, as always. The crowd had loved him, as always. Tomura and his guys had sold and brought in a lot of cash, as always. And as always, Katsuki went to the back alley to smoke. That was two hours ago. Without even realizing, he'd smoked almost two full packs of cigarette. And he was just staring at the sky. That ugly sky he hated so much. Life just had to screw with him once more didn't it? Didn't the universe get enough of pushing him around like that? Fine, he was a rotten human being, but he wasn't the worst either. And yet it felt like Heaven itself was laughing at his misery. Damn it all. Damn Deku. Damn his parents. Damn himself. The metal door opened and Kurogiri stepped out in the alley.

"Nitro, Tomura wants to see you." Said the man with the painted face.

The singer didn't even bother answering. He stood up and headed straight for the back room. The bastard's lap dogs were sniffing shit, like usual. The dealer was sitting in the couch looking at a plastic bag in his hands. He looked up when the singer came in.

"Oh, Nitro. Glad you could make it. Wanna join us this time?"

"Whatever..." Replied the ash blond, before he grabbed a can of beer and sat in a chair. He opened it and emptied it in one go. Even Tomura's voice wasn't pissing him off anymore. Everything was so fucking distant. Maybe it was better that way. Slowly drifting away from everything. With a little help...

"I still got your favorite. I even got clean needles this time..."

"Na." Rejected the singer. "Gimme some DD."

For the first time, the dealer looked a little chocked. "Are you sure? It's been a while. You might want to start with DS."

"Are you fucking deaf?" He replied growling, but never looking at the man.

Dragon Dive was much stronger than Dragon Speed. It wasn't unusual for people not used to the drug yet to be sick for several days after or even go into short comas if ingested with alcohol. But at least the addiction took after the second dose.

Tomura hesitated some more before shrugging, and handing over the plastic bag filled with white pills. "Here. Don't blame me if you pass out."

Katsuki didn't even respond. He was tired. Tired of everything. Of every single one of these fuckers. He wanted to be left alone. He wanted to be numb. He wanted to forget. He wanted to just … drown and disappear. He placed the pill on his tongue his and brought a new can of beer to his mouth. At least now, the damn nerd would leave him alone for good.

" _KACCHAN!"_ Called out the Deku of his memories as he slowly faded.

* * *

 **Ouch! Things are not going as planned. Points for anyone who caught the S.W.I.T.C.H. reference!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	7. Two-faced advice

**Hi guys! Sorry, I know it's been forever. I had exams and all so yeah.. Apologies.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The black hooded figure quietly made it's way through the raging crowd, invisible to the eyes of the people who were fighting to get closer to the stage where Nitro was performing. It's not that the music displeased him, on the contrary, he'd be one of the first to be hypnotized by it under normal circumstances. However, the teenager wasn't here for the music this time. He hadn't been back here in a while. He found himself a quiet corner against the wall and stared at the stage with his heterochromatic eyes. He could see the singer well. Of course he didn't have the same observant eyes as a certain green-haired therapist, but even he could tell that something was different. Although he did not know what.

After a couple of hours, when the show ended and Nitro left, the boy made his way to the backstage, reserved to Shigaraki and his gang. At the entrance, a familiar figure stopped him.

"No one passes here, kid." Said Kurogiri. "If you want more supplies, ask the guys in the room."

Instead of replying, the teen removed his hoodie and presented his expressionless face to Tomura's right hand man.

"Todoroki? You're back. Finally found a way to bail from the center?"

"Yeah. Can I go see Tomura?" He asked.

"Sorry, we're Thursday. He's out getting the money from the external dealers."

"Oh, right." Replied the boy, showing a slight disappointment.

"He'll be back in a couple of hours. You can chill in the back room until he gets here if you want."

"Yeah, I'll wait a bit."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

"I'm crashing with a friend, not far." Lied the two-face.

The truth was that he perfectly knew that Tomura wasn't here on Thursdays nights. As he reached the back room, he realized that no one was there. No wonder, Tomura and Nomou were collecting and the others were selling in the club. Since HELLGATE was full, it was all hands on deck. Meaning the only ones who would come in here were probably the band members to relax and get drunk. Indeed, a few minutes later, they joined him with the exception of Nitro. Usually, they barely noticed his presence because Tomura was always there. Today was no different.

"And one more intense night of work over." Said one. "I hope the boss's got us some good stuff."

"Come on. We're having it easy lately. Nitro's finally stopped getting pissed every time we made a mistake."

"It's kind of weird if you ask me. He's been like that for a while now. Like he just doesn't give a damn anymore. By the way, did the boss get a new mule? You know ever since that two-faced brat went missing again, the supplies are dropping."

"Yeah, he's looking for one. Gotta admit, that brat was so quiet, he made a pretty good mule. It'll be hard to find someone as good as him."

"Meh, the boss will manage. If one's not enough, he'll get another."

Shouto didn't move. He was the kind of person that kept his reactions to himself, but hearing this, he couldn't help but widen his eyes in shock. Mr Midorya and Mina had been right all this time. It's not like he doubted the guy. But somehow, hearing this still made him sick to his stomach. His eyes watered in tears of rage, but he forbade them to fall and kept listening to their conversation.

"Though he seems pretty confident that the kid will come back."

"All the better then. We'll have three more."

"Seriously though. What do you think is up with Nitro? He's just … not acting like Nitro."

"Maybe his girlfriend dumped him, for all I care. Honestly, as long as he leaves us the hell alone I don't give a damn if something's wrong with him. He's an asshole anyways."

"At least we agree on that."

They laughed. Shouto remained quiet, invisible to them. If he was right, then Nitro was the source of Mr Midorya's problems. Or at least at the center of it. Being so quiet all of his life, the teen had learned to use his eyes and ears better than his tongue and words. He could tell that much. But it seemed like the singer wasn't unaffected either. Something bad must have gone down between the two of them. Although he couldn't guess what it was, he was determined to help the man that had gone this far for him. It was the least he could do after having caused him so much trouble.

He closed his eyes for a moment thinking about his next move. After some reflexion he opened them again, and stood up, making the band members finally notice him. He ignored their comments and stepped out of the room before heading for the back alley, where the singer went to smoke. But the moment he stepped outside, he saw the blond man exiting the alley. Frowning, he wondered where he was going and decided to tail him. That was one other thing he was pretty good at. The streets of this district at night were far from the safest. Maybe the singer was looking for trouble. Shouto didn't have to be a psychologist to know that it was a way to let off some steam when something was bothering you and it was far from unusual for Nitro. Still, the singer usually didn't go around picking fights at 2 in the morning. He tailed him for a couple of streets until the singer suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"I know you're there. Come out." He ordered.

The two-face flinched in surprise. Had he been on to him from the start? After some hesitation, he stepped out of hiding and Katsuki turned around.

"Oh, it's you." He said, eyeing him. They looked at each other for a long time, before Katsuki turned around and resumed his walk. Shouto took a deep breath before catching up to the singer and walking behind him. He was surprised that the singer didn't just send him to hell, like he would've done with anyone else. The silence between the two was unsettling for the teen. What was going on inside this guy's head?

"You're a creepy little shadow, you know that kid?" Finally let out Katsuki, without ever turning around.

Shouto didn't reply and Katsuki growled at the lack of response. It was like he was being ignored and stared at through a microscope at the same time. And by a kid none the less. So he kept walking through the streets with the kid on his trail. It's not like he gave a damn if Tomura had sent him to tail him. In fact, not much mattered anymore. They finally arrived at an abandoned warehouse that was familiar to both of them. It used to be an old factory and was now Tomura's stashing place. Seeing as the door was locked and he was certainly not going back to HELLGATE to ask Tomura for the key, the singer grabbed a brick from the ground and tossed it through the window before entering. The teen followed him in.

"Tomura's gonna freak if you steal." He commented with a monotone voice.

"Does it look like I give a damn what that bastard thinks?" Retorted the singer. "And whoa, you can talk after all."

Shouto stood there for a moment, silent and observing the actions of Katsuki. The singer walked over to the wooden boxes and kicked one of the them, breaking it and small plastic zip locks with white powder in them fell out. He growled and skipped to the next one, getting the same result.

"What are you looking for?" Asked Shouto.

"None of your fucking business, kid."

"I know this warehouse like the back of my hand. I can save you a lot of time." He simply explained, not reacting to the singer's foul mouth. If the glare Katsuki threw him impressed him, he didn't show it.

"You're a fucking idiot kid."

"Why?"

"You should've bailed when you had the chance and stayed to hell away from this place. You had the chance, but you preferred to come back and be that bastard's puppet until you die. Talk about dependency."

"Isn't it the same for you?" Replied Shouto.

This time, the singer was the one who kept silent and resumed his box breaking activity.

"You know what happened to Mr Midorya, don't you Nitro?"

Katsuki froze in his movement and turned to the teen once more. "What?"

"Ever since Mr Midorya came back from here a few weeks ago, he's changed. Logically speaking, it's probably your fault."

"Tch. Don't talk about shit that you don't understand. It's not a something a kid should put his nose into."

"I may be a kid but I know what it's like to suffer. I know what it's like to feel like the entire world is crumbling around you and drown in your own despair. I've been there, so don't talk to me like I can't understand adult stuff."

"Cocky brat." Growled back the singer. "What the hell do you want?"

"I want to know what's happening with Mr Midorya."

"Why do you even care? Forget about it. The further that damn nerd is from me, the better."

"The others talk behind your back, you know. Apparently you haven't been doing so great either."

"What is this, an interrogation? Get lost kid."

"Okay." Simply replied Shouto, before taking a step closer to the singer. "But just so you know, between the two of us, I think it's pretty obvious who the fool is."

Again, Katsuki didn't respond but he frowned harder and his fists clenched. No one had ever heard of Nitro beating up a kid, even if he was easy to piss off. But right now, he seemed this close to loosing control. So the teen decided to continue.

"You yelled at me for hesitating when Mr Midorya came to get me from HELLGATE. Doesn't that make you an idiot for staying?" Asked Shouto, with no condescendence whatsoever in his voice. "You're probably not gonna care, but Mr Midorya was here to help you. I'm 100% sure of that at least."

"... What's the point in telling me this?"

"Maybe to warn you, like you warned me. Because I'm glad you did."

'Hold on. So the brat didn't come back to the gang after all?'

The two stared at each other for a long moment until the sound of glass breaking got their attention. It seemed someone had fallen down while trying to enter the warehouse through the same window than them. Both their eyes widened when they realized the figure had messy green hair.

"Mr Midorya!" Exclaimed the teen, for once showing visible surprise.

When the therapist heard his name, he immediately stood back up and ran towards him, grabbing him roughly by the shoulders. "Shouto! Thank goodness! Are you alright?"

"Uh, yes sir... but what are you..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Izuku sighed loudly and threw him an angry glare. "What in the world are you doing back here? I thought everything was going well..."

"It is! I swear Mr Midorya! I didn't come back here because of Tomura..."

The therapist's eyes widened and he lifted his head to look at the singer who hadn't budged or spoken since he got here.

"Kacchan..."

The moment he pronounced this word, Katsuki turned around, showing his back to him. "Given the circumstances, I'm gonna pretend I didn't see you."

Having said that, he started walking away. A weird sensation was occupying his mind though. Something like a mix of bitterness and anger, but he decided to ignore them and started walking away.

"Kacchan, wait!" Called out Izuku.

His cry instantly stopped him in his track and he wondered why the hell the nerd had such influence over his actions. Damn him! He wanted to keep walking away and ignore him. But his legs refused to obey for some reason. Katsuki clenched his teeth and remained immobile.

"Please... tell me what I have to do to make you believe that I'm on your side?" He asked.

His side? He dared to ask something like that? That cursed nerd face! "My side? Don't screw with me Deku. You never were. The only reason you came here was because my old lady asked you. And like always perfect little Izuku couldn't say no. You just had to come see it for yourself, didn't you? How lowly I'd fallen."

"That's not true!" Shouted the green-haired lad, scandalized. "How can you even think that?"

Katsuki scoffed. "You're still gonna play dumb after lying to my face for an entire month? Sorry Deku, I never fall twice for the same trick, you of all people should know that."

"But I wasn't tricking you! I'm sorry I lied, but if I'd told you the truth from the beginning there was no chance that you would've listened to me. Why won't you believe me?"

The singer finally whipped around and faced his childhood friend, throwing him a murderous glare. "BECAUSE YOU GOT NO FUCKING REASON TO WANT TO HELP ME, YOU DAMN NERD!"

That sentence froze Izuku on the spot. He stared in shock at his old friend, wondering if that was what had been on his mind since the beginning. Seeing as he didn't respond, the angry singer kept on going. "EVEN WHEN WE WERE KIDS, I NEVER DID ANYTHING TO EARN YOUR GOODWILL! NOT ONCE! I BULLIED YOU AND TREATED YOU LIKE SHIT ALL THROUGHOUT MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL! I NEVER DID ANYTHING FOR YOU! HOW COULD YOU POSSIBLY WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR ME?!"

Being a good samaritan to assholes had it's limits, that was one thing Katsuki was sure about. There was only so much you could do for one person, especially if they didn't do anything in return. Deku hadn't come here because of him, but because of his mother. So why? Why did he keep crawling back, even though he clearly rejected him? Was he just insane or a complete idiot? A little of both, probably. Katsuki panted in rage as he stared at the silent therapist who was looking at him with those wide eyes he had when he was shocked.

"I'll admit, you caught me off guard the other day. Pretty clever of you to make me spill my guts when I was sick. I didn't even realize you were manipulating me like a puppet."

Izuku clenched his teeth and started shaking, but not so strong as Katsuki would notice. Therefore, the latter continued. "My head's clear now though. After thinking about it some more, I realized it was impossible. I never did anything for you. So why the hell would you even bother to do something for me? No one is that good. Look at you, you're not even denying it."

For the second time tonight, Shouto showed visible shock on his face. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. That description resembled anyone but Mr Midorya. He felt his own blood boil in his veins and opened his mouth to say something, but the therapist extended a hand in front of him, stopping him.

"Shouto. Go back to the center."

"Huh? But Mr Mido..."

"Go." Ordered the therapist, without even raising his voice.

The two-faced kid hesitated before taking a few steps back and walking away. But instead of exiting the building, he decided to hide behind the pile of wooden boxes that contained the gang's merchandise and observe. The two childhood friends were staring at each other again before Izuku finally spoke.

"I only ever came here to help you." Said the therapist with a quiet voice. "I never had any other objective in mind. Do you really think I'm that kind of person?"

A vein almost popped on the singer's forehead when he heard that, and with a quick pace he walked over to Izuku and grabbed him by the shirt. "You bet your sorry ass I do! You should be happy though. You got something to laugh at me about for the rest of your days. That should satisfy your selfish ass. Enjoy your revenge and get lost, Deku."

"How dare you, Kacchan?"

"..." The singer was not expecting that answer to his outburst.

"You don't know anything about me." Said the therapist, frowning more than ever. "How dare you judge me!"

"Look who's talking, shit nerd!" Shouted back Katsuki.

"I NEVER JUDGED YOU! Can't you tell the..."

Izuku suddenly froze when he noticed something. Even an outburst of anger like this couldn't blind his keen eye for details for long. In the space of one second, his brain analyzed Katsuki. Shaking and cold hands. Sweat. Blood shot eyes. Bags under the eyes, betraying insomnia. The veins on the neck slightly visible. Izuku's shocked gaze suddenly reappeared on his face, catching the singer off guard.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

"Kacchan, are you taking Dragon Dive?" Asked Izuku.

"How's that any of your fuckin'..."

Before he could finish that sentence, a powerful fist crashed into his jaw, making him let go off the therapist and take a step back grunting. But before he could even realize he'd been hit, a left hook smacked him on the cheek and then another hit on the chin. He tasted iron and threw a shocked glare at the therapist who was panting like he was trying to contain an unbearable rage.

"You son of a …." Started the singer, growling like an animal, but he froze. Tears were streaming down the green-haired lad's face and anger was burning in his eyes. A thousand times more intense than during their fight in his apartment.

"Was it me Kacchan? Was I the one who pushed you over the edge? Was it me who made you fall down again?"

There it was, just like back when they were kids. The guilt Izuku so easily took on whenever people would blame him. It was resurfacing. Katsuki hated it for some reason. He jumped back on his feet and ran at full speed towards the therapist.

"MIND YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS!" He shouted, raising his right fist, intending to break the nerd's jaw.

But instead of cowering like he thought he would, Izuku sprang forward, grabbed the singer's arm, and with agile motion, sent him over his shoulder. Katsuki landed heavily on his back and got his breath cut off instantly. Izuku kept a firm hold on his arm to keep him from moving.

"Make up your's Kacchan! Either it's not my business, or it's my fault! It can't be both!" He twisted his arm more to keep him from attempting to move, earning himself the painful grunt of the singer. "I told you I wasn't as weak as before."

Katsuki clenched his teeth so hard he could've shattered them. "Point... taken... bastard!"

Instead of trying to free his arm, Katsuki sent his foot into Izuku's shin. The green-haired lad cried out in pain and released the singer's arm. The second Katsuki was on his feet, he attacked him again with a series of quick and powerful punches aimed for the face, stomach and solar plexus.

"YOU'RE STILL A HUNDRED YEARS TOO EARLY TO TAKE ME ON!" He shouted as he threw his knee in his childhood friend's stomach before grabbing him by the collar again. "What the hell is your problem?! Why are you so obsessed with me, huh?! What's your goal, damn it?!"

Izuku's nose was bleeding heavily and might have been broken. His face was already heavily bruised and his head was killing him. None the less, he somehow found the strength to look up at Katsuki and speak.

"You said I couldn't possibly have any reason to want to help you? That's where you're wrong Kacchan. So very wrong."

Taking advantage of the slight second of distraction, Izuku grabbed him by the collar as well and smashed his forehead against the singer's as hard as he could. Thrown back with a bleeding nose, the latter brought his hand to his face.

"You have no idea how grateful I am to have met you. Without you, I'd never be where I am today."

"Huh? The hell? Are you screwing with me again?"

Before he could take another step, Izuku punched him in the face again.

"SHUT UP AND PAY ATTENTION, MORON!" Shouted Izuku, immediately shutting him up. "You don't realize it, but everything I am, everything I have today is because of you Kacchan."

"..."

"When I say you're amazing, I mean it. You're the greatest inspiration I had. You're the reason I pushed forward."

"Shut up!"

"It's the truth. I was lost, weak and desperate. I wasn't fit to live where we were. You were the one who gave me something to aspire to. I found my will to become great because of you!"

Katsuki's eyes seemed to dry up even more and at lightening speed, he threw his fist into the therapist's ribs. "I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!"

Once more, the green-haired lad clenched his teeth as the wave of pain travelled through his body, but refusing to let it get to him, he sent his elbow into his assailant's temple.

"You still think I'm lying?! Who the hell would go this far to make someone else believe a lie?!"

The singer spat out some blood, and hit Izuku in the face again. "How the hell should I know?! I'm not in that nerd head of yours! I just don't get what's your problem, and it pisses me off!"

Another left hook to the face made the therapist grunt in pain again. But it didn't seem to be enough to keep him down. "I TOLD YOU I WANT TO SAVE YOU!"

With that last shout, Izuku raised his hand one more time and chopped the taller man on the throat, effectively cutting off his breath and making him fall to his knees as he almost passed out. One more effective move that Professor Yagi had taught him. Both of them panted as the sting of their wounds started to make themselves noticeable with the adrenaline going down.

"No matter... what you might think..." Said Izuku in between heavy breaths. "You're someone that matters to me Kacchan... And I can't stand that the person who was my inspiration for all my life is destroying himself right in front of me, without even thinking of asking for help."

"Tch. That's your reason for sticking to me like glue? What a load of crap..." Said the singer with a still chocked voice.

"Don't say that! I'm dedicating my entire life to helping people who lost themselves. Do you have any idea how it feels when it happens to a friend and you can't do anything? It's the most frustrating feeling in the world! And to top it all of, it had to be you! The most pig-headed guy I ever met in my entire life! And now you're telling me I'm selfish to try and help? Give me a break already! I've always been here, Kacchan! Now it's your turn. Please reach out to me! So that I can save you!"

Izuku had expected the singer to retort by shouting something and was ready to send his fist in his face again, but instead Katsuki remained quiet. He was eying the therapist from the ground. His head was clearer now somehow. Maybe the fight had messed up his brain because it felt like jello. Maybe that's why the damn nerd's last words were replaying in his head over and over. He snapped out of it when a slow clapping resonated in the warehouse.

"Isn't that a great speech?" Said a hoarse voice that made both of them cringe.

Izuku's eyes widened in fear when he saw Tomura Shigaraki entering followed by six or seven of his guys, including Nomou and Kurogiri. This was bad. The green-haired lad was beat up, and his head was hurting him like crazy.

"Shigaraki..."

"Well, well, if it isn't Izuku Midorya. Your presence here means our deal didn't mean that much to you I see."

Not knowing how to reply, the therapist clenched his teeth. But Tomura continued. "I know you're here Todoroki. Come on out." He said with a sickly sweet voice, like someone would call a cat.

"He's already gone." Said Izuku.

"Really? Then maybe this will help him come back. Kurogiri."

The man with black paint on his face that until now hidden behind Nomou, took a step forward. But he was not alone. One of his arms was wrapped around the neck of a pink haired girl that was struggling in his grasp, and the other, holding a knife.

"Mina!" Exclaimed the therapist.

"Mr...Midorya..." She let out with a voice strangled with fear.

Izuku took a step forward but froze when Kurogiri, placed the blade under her throat. "Don't move."

A nasty grin stretched across the dealer's face. "I found this lovely lady snooping around HELLGATE looking for you, Todoroki. At least do her the favor of showing her your face. I'll give you ten seconds."

A strike of fear squeezed the two-faced teen's heart as the dealer started counting and he quickly walked out of his hiding place, surprising both his therapist and Nitro. But Shigaraki seemed happier than ever. And that was not a good sign.

"There you are. I've missed you."

The green-haired lad placed himself in front of the teen. "Stay back, Shouto."

"Now, what should I do with all of you?"

* * *

 **PLEASE REVIEW!**


	8. Katsuki Bakugo

**Hi guys! Sorry I left you on a nasty cliffhanger last time.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"You know Nitro, if you needed more supplies you could've asked instead of ransacking my warehouse."

As the singer didn't reply, the dealer turned to the two-faced teenager. "How mean of you to ignore me Todoroki." Said Tomura as he grinned at his former mule. "That really hurts you know. To think you'd betray me like that."

Shouto didn't reply. Not like it was out of character for him to remain silent but this time, it was not because he had nothing to say. Although he was not showing it, the boy was terrified. Because of Tomura's methods to punish those who disobeyed them, of course, but mostly because of his mood swings and what he might do to Mina. And he knew that he couldn't expect help from Nitro or Mr Midorya. If the therapist did anything, the girl was toast.

"Speaking of which..." Continued the dealer, turning to Mina. The girl became so pale, she looked sick. Her entire body was paralyzed at the mere gaze of Tomura. "I've been wondering for a while how you figured us out Midorya. It was this one wasn't it?"

He caressed her cheek with a finger, feeling her shake under his touch. Katsuki, Izuku and Shouto could tell the sicko was enjoying it. "I have a terrible memory for trivial things, but I remember you, pinky. You and your little gang used to be pretty good costumers of mine. You ratted me out, didn't you?"

The gray haired man grabbed the knife from Kurogiri and ominously flipped it in his hand. The man with black paint on his face released his hold on her neck and held her by the wrists facing tomura instead. "Naughty girls should be punished, don't you think so Midorya?"

He chuckled as tears dripped out of the pink haired girl's eyes. Izuku was paralyzed. He wanted to do something, he HAD to do something! His kids were in danger. But anything he did risked pissing off the dealer and he'd take it out on Mina. Tomura laughed some more at his helplessness and then placed the blade under the girl's throat.

"Well then sweetheart, how would you like me to punish you? I'll let you choose."

"D..don't... please don't ..." She begged.

"Ooh, begging. It's so cute that you'd think this would work on me." The dealer pressed the point of the blade on her cheek until a small filet of blood dripped and she winced in pain. She tried moving away but her back met Kurogiri's chest blocking her. "You have pretty eyes sweetheart. Mind giving me one?"

Anguish and terror squeezed Izuku heart and his body moved on his own, taking two quick steps ahead.

"Don't move Midorya." Ordered the dealer. "If you take another step, I will do much worse."

"You sick bastard!" Growled the therapist, freezing in his steps.

The nasty grin on his face stretched even more turning into a sadistic smirk. "You flatter me."

With a quick and slick move, he ran the blade across the girl's cheek, slashing the flesh open from under her temple to her nose. Mina screamed in pain. Her cry resonated in the warehouse and shook Shouto to his soul. The cut didn't look that deep, but red liquid dripped down her face. Her tears mixed with the blood, making this scene even more unbearable to watch. But the dealer didn't seem to be done yet. He cupped the crying girl's cheek and made her look up. She closed her eyes in fear.

"Hey, look at me." He ordered, with that hoarse and creepy voice of his that appeared somehow gentle.

Afraid to contradict him anymore than he already was, the pink haired girl slowly opened her eyes. Her yellow irises filled with fear met Tomura's red ones. His eyes widened in glee.

"I like that look." He said before leaning closer and licking the blood of her cheek which resulted in Mina whimpering in fear. "Squeal for me some more sweetheart. I promise, I'll give you a reward."

"STOP IT!"

It was Tomura's turn to stop in surprise. After being frozen for a couple of seconds, he released the pink haired girl and turned to the person who had screamed. Shouto was panting with anxiety. For once, fear and distress were clearly visible on his face. But Tomura's nasty grin quickly returned.

"Did you just scream, Todoroki? Well, well. Who knew you had it in you? This one must be pretty important to you, if it pushed you to loose your cool like that."

Shouto's heart was racing at two thousand miles an hour. He couldn't remember the last time he screamed like this in his life. Even when he was working for Tomura, he never saw him do that to someone. At least not in front of him. How naive he'd been. This guy was more than unstable, he was insane! And he was about to destroy one of the few people that welcomed him unconditionally. But it wasn't easy. Just keeping eye contact with his former savior made him sweat in nervousness, and he could feel his legs shaking. There was so much intensity in that gaze he'd been submitted to for so long...

"Leave her alone." He managed to say, quieter but without stuttering.

"Are you giving me an order?"

"..."

The dealer exploded in laughter. The kind of crazy laughter that sent shivers down the spines of everybody present. "Ha! Haha! Hahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't know what you do to these kids, Midorya, but it sure as hell is entertaining! Now they think they're actually significant! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Izuku felt rage build up in his stomach, as strong if not, stronger than the fear. His whole body shook and he clenched his teeth. "Who the hell are you to say that they're not?"

"Oh, did I make you angry Deku?" Replied the unconcerned dealer, teasing.

"Someone like you who uses them like tools couldn't possibly understand how much they've fought to get out of their bad situations." Explained Izuku who was fuming with rage and completely failing to notice the stunned gaze of the singer on him. "Their mistakes and their perseverance to become better is what makes everything worth it. Taking control of your own life when you start this low is so hard it seems impossible. Just the fact that they're willing to climb that slope makes them a hundred times better people that you."

"I wouldn't expect any other speech coming from an idealist like you. But let me ask you this." Tomura roughly grabbed a handful of his hostage's hair and exposed her throat to his bloody blade.

"What's the point in that battle if you're just gonna end up like this? Can you imagine it? All their efforts, gone to waste because they were stupid enough to think they could get away from me."

Once more Izuku froze in fear, terrorized at the idea that he might act on his sick intentions. "But hey, I'm not the kind of guy who does things without thinking. How about this Todoroki? You come back to the gang and the two of you can work for me. A pretty good deal, don't you think? Considering you'll both still be … mostly in one piece. What do you say?"

The mostly in one piece part was referring to more than Mina's wound. A tooth for a tooth was Tomura's policy and Shouto's betrayal was not going to go unpunished. None the less, after a few seconds of hesitation, the two-faced lad started walking towards the group of dealers. Understanding his intentions, the therapist extended a hand.

"Shouto, stay back!"

"Make up your mind quickly, Todoroki." Urged Tomura. "You know things can get messy if I get impatient."

"I'm sorry, Mr Midorya." Whispered the teen.

With a quick move, Shouto threw a light punch in his therapist's lower left rib. The one he knew had been cracked when they'd jumped him. The pain was so that Izuku bent in two, grunting in pain. The two-faced teen circled around him and quickly approached the leader of the gang. He stopped two steps away from him, looking at the ground, hoping to hide the look of terror in his eyes. Tomura raised his hand and ruffled his hair.

"I knew you knew better than to screw with me twice. Good boy. But just so we're clear..."

Before Shouto could even look up, a fist crashed with the side of his head. The hit was so strong that it sent him to the ground. His shoulder made a nasty cracking sound and he clenched his teeth, holding in his scream. That was also something he'd learned to do.

"Next time, I won't be so gentle."

"Todoroki!" Shouted Mina, before bitting down on Kurogiri's wrist making him release her. "Are you alright?"

She knelt down beside him and helped him sit up. When he looked up, his lip was bleeding and there was a nasty bruise on the side of his head. When his eyes met Mina's, new tears escaped her's and her hands that were touching him were shaking. So he did the only thing he could think of by wrapping around her head and bringing her face against his shoulder. He didn't know what else to do. He clenched his teeth at his impotency and prayed that by some sort of miracle, someone would help them and Mr Midorya.

"Now that that's over with, you two behave and sit still while the adults are talking." Continued Tomura. "Watch them, Kurogiri."

Izuku was still holding his side. Man, that hurt! Shouto was much more observant than he seemed if he'd been able to tell which side to hit. The therapist took deep breaths to try calming the pain, but his rib was killing him at every one of them. Still he forced himself to look at the people facing him. Now, Shigaraki had two hostages. But at least his focus had drifted from them to him.

'Darn it!' He thought, cursing. 'Every move I make is killing me.'

Tomura could tell how much pain he was in from the sweat dripping down his face. The dealer sighed.

"Back to business then. Nomou."

It seemed that Tomura's goons always knew what to do without him having to say anything more than their names. Because at the sound of his, the gigantic and perhaps mute man immediately moved. Before Izuku knew it, the giant ran towards him at full speed. The therapist got on guard and guarded himself from the first hit. But just blocking the giant's hit nearly broke his arm. Izuku was used to dealing with punks and street fighting, but that guy was not only fast but insanely strong. The green haired lad failed to see the knee of his opponent coming and screamed in pain when it collided with already fragile rib. Izuku fell on the ground, writhing. But the giant wasn't done with him yet. He pressed his knee and all his weight on his victim's back, placed one hand on his head and with the other, pulled his arm so far back that Izuku thought he was going to rip it off. Perfectly immobilized and in unbelievable pain.

"Mr Midorya!" Shouted Mina, horrified at the scene playing out in front of them.

"Tomura, stop!" Begged the two-faced teen, looking at the one he used to call his savior. "He hasn't done anything!"

A kick to the face sent him right back down to the ground. "Shut up and stay still. Or else." Said Kurogiri, menacingly.

"You're right, Todoroki." Replied Tomura without taking his eyes off the therapist. "He hasn't. Not yet. But he will if we let him be. You are becoming a pain in the ass, Midorya." He declared.

"What are you talking about?" Replied Izuku, confused. "I only came here to get Shouto..."

"I know. I'm the one who warned you after all."

Of course, what an idiot he'd been! The text to tell him that Shouto was missing came from Mina. Tomura was the one who sent it.

"After something thinking, I realized something." Explained the man in black. "You would have found a way to sneak back here and bother Nitro again. That's bad for my business, so I just decided to eliminate the threat all together."

Katsuki hadn't moved the whole time. Hadn't said a thing. Not when Tomura hurt the girl. Not when he hit the kid. Not even when Nomou attacked the therapist. It's not that he hadn't wanted to. He knew damn well that things would have gone down a whole lot nastier if he'd gotten involved. The residue of the Dragon Dive he'd taken earlier this evening was still present in his system and was partly to blame. But when he heard that sentence, his eyes widened in shock and he frowned at the dealer. Clearly he must've been hallucinating.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" He growled at his boss.

"I think it's pretty clear Nitro."

That twisted bastard couldn't be serious. Sure he had no problem with dealing and acting like a psycho with people who went against him. But murder? Katsuki had heard rumors about horrible stuff he'd done to others. It wasn't that surprising, the guy was batshit crazy. But never had he heard of Tomura actually killing someone to cover his ass. But if the dealer was this laid back about it, then it probably wasn't the first time. The asshole was even crazier than he thought. The realization somehow froze him in place.

"Are you high or what?!" Shouted the singer. "Dealing's one thing, but that's crossing a line! I know you're not right in the head but that beats..."

"What was it you said last time?" Interrupted the dealer. "If I ever see your fucking nerd face around here again, I'll kill you myself?"

"..."

"You see Nitro, you like to think of yourself as a scary guy. But the thing is, you're a softie and you're all talk. But for once you'll have done exactly what you promised."

"The hell?"

Instead of replying, the dealer reached inside his jacket and pulled out a gun. Both Izuku and Katsuki's eyes widened in shock. So Tomura was also into gun trafficking? Just how many criminal activities did this guy engage in? The gray haired man tossed the deadly object to Katsuki who caught it by reflex. The look of surprise turned to one of pure rage.

"You son of a bitch. You're insane but I didn't know you were stupid as well. You really think you can make me ..."

"Oh I think I can make you do anything, Nitro. One, I'm the only DD dealer in this city. You're gonna want to keep me pleased for supplies. Second, if you don't do it then I will. And your acquaintance's girlfriend goes next. In a very, very painful way."

Once more, anguish squeezed the young therapist's heart as he thought of what Shigaraki could do to Ochako. "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!"

"See? Even he doesn't want anything to happen to her. It's like he's asking you to do it. So why hesitate? You and I are the same on the inside Nitro. You're just as rotten as me."

Izuku waited for the singer to unleash a wave of insults on the dealer and yell that they were nothing alike. But he didn't. Katsuki didn't move, he just clenched his teeth. The green-haired lad realized that he felt like the dealer was right. No. No! Not again! He was so deep in darkness already. He wasn't sinking any deeper, not right in front of him!

"Don't listen to him, Kacchan!" He shouted, as loud as his voice aloud him and earning himself the attention of the singer. "You're nothing like that! That bastard doesn't know anything about you!"

"And you do? Please." Mocked Tomura. "You saw for yourself how he really is."

"You're right I did! He's pig-headed, stubborn as hell, sharp-tongued and foul-mouthed! He always thinks of himself first! His ego is bigger than the Everest! To top it all off, he gets pissed at everything that annoys him and he's violent. But there's more. You drag people down to their worst states and get off on that. Kacchan's got the potential to bring others to the top, even if he doesn't realize it. All these people that you have trapped here in your drug empire... they can aspire to greater and better things because Kacchan's there. That's what makes him so different from you. You can't imagine how different. He's not pathetic or pitiful. Not like you, Shigaraki. You're a parasite. And he's the cure. In that sense, you two are polar opposites. As long as you remain that parasite, you'll never even be worthy of licking his boots."

The grin on the dealer's face disappeared. "This is starting to bore me. Nomou."

The monster pressed on Izuku's head and smashed him face first against the concrete. When he lifted his head again, a filet of blood was dripping from his nose and over his mouth. His head was spinning so much that his vision became blurry and he wanted to puke. Everything seemed to go much slower around him. He couldn't hear what Tomura was saying anymore, but the dealer was talking to Katsuki.

'This is bad.' He thought. 'I can't do anything... If Kacchan doesn't shoot me, then Ochako will...'

A pair of black rangers in front of his eyes interrupted his thoughts. He lifted his eyes to see the blurry figure of the singer. Izuku couldn't discern his eyes but it seemed like they were in an impossible choice situation. In any case, he was done for. If Katsuki didn't do what he was told, Shigaraki would finish the job and then go after Ochako. It seemed like this was the option with the less casualties.

The green-haired lad chuckled. "Looks like I didn't do anything for you in the end Kacchan... I'm sorry."

The singer clenched his hand on the gun handle as Izuku continued. The latter never thought that he would meet his end so early and in such a place. His stubbornness betrayed him in the end. There was anger mixed with sadness in those eyes. Leaving his friend like this in so much pain... leaving behind his many patients with who he'd managed to get close to... leaving not knowing what would happen to Mina and Shouto... It was all so frustrating. Tears escaped his eyes. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to go when there was so much left to do. He started shaking but managed to smile while looking up.

"I guess, I'll reach out to you one last time then Kacchan..." His voice was a whisper, that only the singer and Nomou could hear and the mute giant didn't seem to care on bit. "Please... help them..."

"Fuck you, Deku."

"... Huh?"

It was about damn time that those two stopped talking. Katsuki wasn't the kind of guy who sat down and listened to other babble and decide what kind of person he was. Being this patient was really not his style. He flipped the gun in his hand and with a lighting quick move, hit the giant on the back of the head as hard as he could. Under the stunned faces of the gang, Nomou crashed on the side, passed out. Katsuki then grabbed the therapist by the collar and pulled him to his feet.

"DON'T YOU DARE LOOK AT ME WITH THAT PATHETIC GLARE OF YOURS! YOU HARASS ME FOR WEEKS TELLING TO MOVE MY ASS AND GET A HOLD OF MY LIFE BUT WHEN IT COMES TO YOU, YOU'RE JUST GONNA GIVE UP?! YOU FUCKING HYPOCRITE!" He shouted, his eyes burning with a familiar anger that Izuku knew well.

"Kacchan..."

Without him wanting to, tears of relief and happiness escaped his eyes this time. He smiled and laughed while saying this next sentence. "If you keep shaking me like that, you'll worsen my concussion."

"Tch. You're still a crybaby. Grow up." Growled the blond releasing him once he was sure Izuku could stand on his own.

"What do you think you're doing, Nitro?"

"It was about time you two stopped babbling about me like I wasn't here. You think I'm that easy to manipulate? You're both idiots. I never do something if I don't feel like it, dumbass." For the first time in a while, the singer cracked an evil grin. "Thanks for the opportunity by the way. With Nomou out cold, I can take on any of you losers, no sweat."

The dealer's face twisted in anger and he started nervously scratching his neck, until he bled. "Kurogiri!" He growled.

The man with black paint on his face turned to the two hostages that hadn't moved from their spot on the floor. Sensing what was to come, Shouto sprang up to place himself in front of Mina. But as Tomura's right hand extended his hand, Katsuki aimed at the cable of the big lamp hanging from the ceiling. The gang members jumped back just in time to avoid getting crushed.

"TWO-FACE! PINKY! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Ordered the singer.

Not wasting a second, Shouto grabbed Mina by the wrist and both dashed towards the broken window and exited the warehouse.

"Nice shot!" Said Izuku who's vision was gradually getting back to normal. "Where did you learn?"

"I didn't, you idiot. I never touched a gun in my life." Replied the blond, keeping an eye on the gang. "It was a lucky shot."

"You're going to pay for that, Nitro."

"The name's Bakugo, fuck face." Replied the foul-mouthed singer before adressing his childhood friend with a lower voice. "Give it to me straight Deku, can you fight or not?"

"As long as no one's as fast as Nomou, I can probably hold my own against one person. Not for long though. It's hard to breath."

"Did he break your rib?"

"I don't know but he definitely widened the crack."

"Okay, stay away from Tomura. He doesn't look it but he's almost as fast as Nomou. As for the others they're average. Kurogiri has tricks up his sleeves, keep an eye on his moves." Explained the singer.

"Kacchan we should try running. We're clearly at a disadvantage. If we manage to separate them we might have a better chance."

"Yeah, and how the hell do you suppose we get out of this warehouse nerd face?"

Izuku quickly looked around. This warehouse was big but aside from the piles of wooden cases containing the drugs, there was nowhere to hide other than behind them. Too easy and too predictable. It wouldn't get them far to play hide and seek in here. The streets however...

"Don't even think about it, you hear me nerd face?" Growled Katsuki as if he was reading his mind.

"Huh? Why?"

"You can barely stand up. If we split up and the bastard goes after you, you'll be toast."

"Shit!" Izuku cursed. "Any bullets left in that gun?" He asked.

"No." Said Katsuki, judging from the weight of the weapon.

'Darn it!' Thought the therapist. 'How the hell are we getting out of this?'

* * *

The sounds of speeding footsteps were resonating in the empty streets. The two-faced teen was running as fast as he could, dragging the pink haired girl behind him. She had trouble keeping up with him and was panting like she'd just run a marathon. She didn't want to stop. The fear in her system was still present, she had illusions of the gang following them. But her body gradually lost it's strength. If it weren't for her companion dragging her, she'd have fallen a long time ago.

"Todoroki!" She called out as best she could with her heavy breaths. "What about Mr Midorya?"

Before he could respond, a hand grabbed Mina's free arm and she cried in fear. Shouto immediately stopped and turned around when her hand escaped his. The sight of a tall figure in the dark alley made him send his fist towards it as fast as he could …. only to have it blocked perfectly by a cold hand.

"You guys look relaxed." Said a low voice that the two knew all too well.

"Shinsou?" They both exclaimed in unison.

"You don't have to shout. We're right here." Lazily replied the teen with bags under his eyes.

"Don't scare us like that." Said Mina. "I almost had a heart attack."

"We should be the ones saying that."

Two more people came out of the alley. One with pitch black hair and a long nose, and another with messy blond hair. It looked like Denki and Fumikage were also present. Mina smiled in relief when she saw them. The boy with crazy hair sighed and released his two companions before putting his hands in his pockets. "So you two wanna tell us what the hell you've been doing?"

"We don't have time to explain." Said Shouto. "Mr Midorya's in danger."

"What kind of trouble?" Asked Hitoshi, still as calm as ever.

"We had a run in with the HELLGATE gang." Explained the girl really fast. "They won't be able to hold long. Do any of you have a cellphone? We have to call Professor Yagi!"

"On it." Said Fumikage, taking out his cell and dialing.

"They might not make it in time..." Said Shouto.

His head was a mess. What could he do? Mr Midorya was already wounded and he doubted Nitro could hold his own against all of these guys. If something happened to them... it would be all his fault for getting involved. Hitoshi Shinsou was surprised to see the two-faced teen's actual emotions showing for once. That meant the situation really was that bad.

"I have an idea!" Said Denki. "I know someone around here who can help us. Follow me!"

The group of teen followed their friend under the dark sky.

"Who is he?" Asked Mina.

"You know my part-time job?"

"You mean the one you were begging the center to let you have? It's in a garage right?"

"Yeah. He works there. Trust me, he's the kind of guy we can count on!"

* * *

 **Can you guess who the kids are gonna call for help?** **Sorry for another cliffhanger.**

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	9. Hero

**Hi guys! Been a while, sorry. Hope you're all doing well!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"You boys stay back." Said Tomura as he started walking towards his two preys. "They're mine."

"Keep your nose out of this, Deku." Ordered the singer.

Izuku didn't have much choice in the matter. His breathing was so painful he was afraid to move, and fighting would risk completely breaking it and causing more internal injuries. His head was still spinning, making him want to throw up. He could do nothing but watch as Shigaraki threw himself on Katsuki. And from the start, the singer seemed to be on the defensive. He managed to avoid most of Tomura's attacks, but they were so quick and persistent that he barely got to throw enough punches to make the dealer back off. It was hard enough that he was trying to keep Tomura away from the therapist. Izuku looked around and searched his brain for anyway he could help his childhood friend. The only reason they were still standing right now was because the dealer had ordered his guys to stay back. His eyes not finding anything useful, he decided to take a different perspective. The warehouse was big. And there were piles and piles of wooden boxes all over. The floor was a mess too. Tools like wrenches and hammer where left on the ground, unattended. It was easy to tell that they didn't use these for tinkering.

"Don't worry about me Kacchan!"

After he shouted that, Izuku dashed away from the two, ignoring the pain of his rib. He had the time to see the singer's shocked eyes before Kurogiri led the rest of the gang after the therapist.

"Deku! What the fu..."

His thought didn't make it to his mouth as he required all his concentration and reflexes to avoid the blade that was about to cut his throat.

"Eyes on me, Nitro. We're not done dancing."

"OUT OF MY WAY, FUCKFACE!" Shouted the singer throwing himself on the dealer again.

Meanwhile Izuku, doing his best not to let the pain interfere with his thoughts, zigzagged through the alleys of wooden boxes. Professor Yagi used to train his staff himself along with more ancient members. But as he grew weaker, his colleagues took over. Nonetheless, Izuku and the other younger therapists, councilors and psychologists of the center all had had decent training to handle difficult patients. And it looked like his hard work was about to pay... otherwise he'd be in trouble and so would Katsuki. One of his skills was being quick on his feet and a strategic thinker. He maneuvered until they lost sight of him.

"Damn it!" Cursed one. "Where'd he go?"

"Let's split up and look for the rat!" Suggested another.

"Be on your guard." Warned Kurogiri's deep voice, cautiously. "He's not as stupid as he looks."

Listening to every word, eyes and ears on high alert, Izuku picked up some of things that were on the floor. Now the hard part was coming. Improvising. He took a deep breath not matter how much it hurt his bone. Right now he needed air more than he didn't need pain. After exhaling as quietly as possible he moved quickly and tossed a bolt that he had picked up at the back of the head of one of the guys that was searching for him. The goon immediately turned around and ran after him. Izuku made a sharp turn and dropped to the floor to trip him. His pursuer crashed heavily on the ground, grunting. And before he could get back up, the therapist grabbed him by the back of his shirt and hit his throat pressure point. He didn't even have time to see his victim pass out and dashed away again as he heard others coming. They were in the aisle next to him. Grabbing the advantage, he quickly climbed up the pile of wooden boxes that separated them and landed in the other aisle behind them. He threw the wrench he had picked up at the first one and it hit him in the back of the head and before the other could react dashed in the other direction with lightening quick reflexes. But he soon came face to face with another that pulled a knife on him. Not really getting a choice, he used the same maneuver that he'd used on his friend earlier in the night and threw the goon over his shoulder and dashed away.

'Good.' He thought as he kept running. 'It's working for now. If I can keep this up, I might be able to hold on for a while. I hope Kacchan's not having too much trouble. If I can find a hiding place for a few minutes and contact the police, I can..."

The green-haired lad's thoughts were interrupted when Izuku felt an awful sharp pain behind his left knee. So painful that he screamed in pain as he crashed on the ground. His face and his elbow both scratched against the concrete, sending another painful vibe throughout his body. Although not nearly as painful as the one in his leg. When he looked at his leg, he saw a knife sticking out of his popliteal. Only when he jumped down from a pile of wooden boxes did Izuku see the culprit. Kurogiri approached slowly as he spoke.

"Hit and run tactics are efficient when facing multiple opponents in a maze." Said the man with black paint on his face. "As long as no one thinks of getting some stable ground."

"Damn it..." Cursed Izuku with a chocked voice and clenched teeth.

When Kurogiri got close enough he knelt down on one knee and grabbed the handle of the knife he'd thrown. But instead of pulling, he put pressure on it, sinking it deeper into the therapist's flesh.

"AAAAHHHHHH!"

Izuku screamed and panted as tears of suffering escaped his eyes. And he bit down on his lower lip, that quickly started bleeding. The rest of the gang appeared and gathered around them.

"As much as I'd love to finish you off myself, Tomura would throw a tantrum if I don't let him have his fun."

With a quick move, Kurogiri mercilessly ripped his knife out of Izuku's leg earning another painful grunt from the latter. Before Izuku could even think of anything, a foot collided with his face, shaking his already spinning head even more. He wanted to get up. He wanted to do something! But he wasn't even sure if he knew how to move which hand. Kurogiri grabbed him by the back of the shirt and dragged him on the ground, adding more scratches to Izuku's already bruised skin.

'Crap... Crap... Crap!' The wounded man cursed as he was being dragged.

They took him back to the area where Katsuki and Tomura were fighting. Kurogiri then threw him at his boss's feet. The singer froze and clenched his teeth, internally thinking every curse word he knew in every language he knew. He was pretty beat up himself. He was good at fighting and smart but Tomura was just so fast and strong that fighting against him had resulted in him being covered in knife cuts.

"Deku, you dumbass!" He growled.

Izuku tried to pull himself up to his elbows and lifted his head to look at his friend. "Kacchan..."

Tomura grabbed a handful of the therapist's hair and forced him to keep his head up, exposing his throat.

"End of the line Midorya. It was fun while it lasted. Thanks for the entertainment." Said the dealer's raspy voice.

Izuku ignored him and kept his eyes on his childhood friend. "G...get out...get out of here... Kacchan..."

"W-WHAT THE FUCK, DEKU?! DON'T GIVE ME THAT SHIT!"

"LISTEN!" Shouted his childhood friend with whatever guts he had left. "We can't … win this, Kacchan... You have to... save yourself... Don't you get it? You idiot... One of us... needs to stay..."

The word's coming out of the therapist's mouth made Katsuki sick to his stomach. It was just like giving up. Izuku never gave up. But there situation had turned from bad to impossible. He could still make a run for it if he left the therapist behind. But then Tomura would kill him for sure... and what would he do? He was paralyzed and didn't know what to do or to think. There was no way to reverse their situation.

"That's cute, he still thinks he can help you despite this pathetic state." Said Tomura, enjoying the look on Izuku's face. "Now that we're done playing, let's get back to business."

"What the hell do you want you sick psycho?!"

"You know what I want Nitro. But this one is being a pain in my ass. Let this be a lesson to you. Don't ever screw with me. If something like this happens again, his girlfriend will be next. And after that it'll be Todoroki and the other brat. And then your mother. Who knows? Maybe even a random brat in the street. That's how much of my bitch you are."

Tomura flipped his blade in his hand and pressed it to the green-haired lad's throat. Izuku shivered at the contact of the cold metal on his skin. More tears escaped his eyes and he started shaking in fear. But not even that gut-grabbing fear stopped him from selflessly screaming what he thought would be his last words.

"LIVE, KACCHAN! GO!"

Never in his entire life had words shaken Katsuki to his soul like this. But he didn't even get the chance to react to that. Tomura lifted his knife, ready to slaughter his prey.

"Bye bye Midorya."

"DEKU!" Cried out Katsuki.

Izuku closed his eyes as the knife started making it's descent. But all of them froze and turned to the window when a loud motor sound was heard and headlights were seen through the window. The sound was getting louder and louder and a few seconds later, a motocycle crashed through the window, shattering the glass and crossed the warehouse until it reached the opposite wall. The driver broke.

"Made it!" Shouted the driver. "You alright back there, Sero?"

Him and the passengers both jumped off the bike. One had spiky red dyed hair as well as pointy teeth and was wearing nothing but pants and boots, like he didn't get the time to get dressed. The one next to him had dark shoulder length black hair. The red haired one turned to Katsuki.

"Bakugo?!" He exclaimed surprised to see him there. "Are you alright man?"

"The hell are you doing here, spiky-hair?" Said the singer, still a little under shock.

"We went over this! The name is Kirishima and my hair's not that different from yours!" Growled back the newcomer. "You know that brat that works with us part time at the garage? He showed up at my door with a bunch of other kids and said something about their teacher being in a pinch. Didn't expect to find you here though. Oh yeah, and we met them on the way."

Kirishima said that last part pointing at the window they'd just broken. Three more agilely jumped into the warehouse. The first was a tall and sturdy looking man with perfectly combed hair and square shaped glasses.

"You could have waited for us!" He scolded. "What a reckless way to enter a warehouse! You could have seriously injured yourself! Are you not conscious of danger?"

The red-haired man grinned proudly. "Sorry, someone's safety was on the line."

"It was still reckless." Said the voice of the second person. "If you had injured yourself too much, you wouldn't have been able to do anything."

This one turned out to be a tall woman with black hair held in a high ponytail and a serious expression on her face. She was holding what looked like a wooden martial art's staff in her hands. Another blond man stepped into the warehouse moving swiftly like a cat.

"When you have free time come by the center. We'll chat about the difference between cowardice and personal safety."

Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. Despite the blur, he knew those silhouettes too well not to recognize them. All were wearing the same white lab vest that was part of the staff's uniform. The first man was Tenya Iida, a diligent councilor who occasionally subbed for Izuku. The woman was Momo Yaoyorozu, an extremely brilliant neuropsychologist. Her mind was practically a walking library. And then last but certainly not least, Mashirao Ojiro. A therapist that used judo as a healing tool. The three of them were Izuku's colleagues and best friends from the center.

"Uh, guys?" Said the other called Sero. "Might want to save the lecture for later. We got bigger problems."

"Midorya!" Exclaimed Iida when he spotted his friend.

The six of them turned their attention to Tomura who had let go of Izuku and was now standing back up. The dealer sighed loudly. "Well this is just perfect. More thorns in my foot. I didn't know you were friends with so many nuisances, Nitro?"

"Nitro? HUUUUUUUUUH?" Exclaimed Kirishima. "Dude, you're Nitro?! No way!"

That earned him a chop behind the head. "Focus, shark teeth! We gotta get Deku out of here."

"What do you mean we? Dude, look at yourself! You can barely stand on your own!"

"Shut the hell up! I can still fight!"

"Oh there won't be any fighting needed." Said the raspy voice of the leader of the HELLGATE gang.

Tomura forcfully pulled Izuku to his feet and wrapped an arm around his neck. "If any of you goody two-shoes so much as think of talking another step, I'll send him to join his ancestors."

"You coward!" Spat out Momo in between her teeth.

"What kind of man pulls a cheap trick like that?" Shouted Kirishima, who's blood was starting to boil.

"It's no use." Said Iida, trying to reason calmly with the dealer. "The police will be here any minute. You have no chance of escaping. Aggravating your case by threatening an innocent man won't help you, Tomura Shigaraki!"

Izuku felt the dealer start shaking in nervousness and he scratched his neck with the hand holding the knife until it bled. Then his body stopped shaking and a hysterical laughter escaped his mouth and filled the warehouse, sending shivers down all of their spines.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I can't stand it! You and your mushy morals! Can't you losers see? This place is the very proof that you will never be able to change the world! There will always be those considered scumbags since birth that will never get a place in society because you won't accept them as people! HAHAHA! Displays like this make me want to puke, really. You really think that by pulling the rightful speech on me I'll piss myself and do whatever you say? You people are insane. And coming from me, that's saying something."

Aside from Kirishima and Sero who seemed more confused than ever, the three Allmight center employee frowned. They all realized quickly how clinically unstable the dealer was. Any brusk move could cost Midorya's life. Tomura placed the blade under Izuku's throat once more.

"Take care of our guests boys. Oh, and if any of you fight back, he goes."

"Not on my watch." Said a deep voice right behind him.

The dealer immediately identified the voice and his eyes widened in shock. Loosening his group on Izuku, he slowly turned around. But before he could discern the skinny silhouette behind him, a foot collided with his face forcing him off the young therapist and making his nose bleed. Kurogiri caught him before he could fall. Izuku tumbled again and found himself on the ground again, as he had trouble standing with his wounded leg. He looked up to see the founder and president of the Allmight Center standing there, also wearing his lab vest over a dark blue jumpsuit.

"Professor Yagi..."

The blond man lowered himself to pick up his apprentice, passing one of his arms around neck and supporting him by the waist. "It's alright now, young Midorya. I'm here."

He said that as if he was speaking to a child. Even though Izuku was well over twenty now, Toshinori was still addressing him like this. And the fatherless young man didn't mind one bit. As far as he was concerned, his father figure was aloud to speak to him however he pleased. More tears escaped Izuku's eyes, but this time they were tears of relief.

"Thank you... professor..." He let out, exhausted.

"Don't talk my boy. You've done enough."

After quickly taking in Izuku's state, Toshinori's eyes glowed with anger and threw daggers at the author of this mess. How dare he? How dare he treat his pupil like this? Izuku's good intentions and big heart certainly brought him trouble, but this was beyond any consequences the professor would've imagined. The blood boiled in the skinny man's veins and he felt a strong murderous urge to throw himself on the insane man. So much that he started shaking in rage.

"You've gone too far this time, Tomura Shigaraki."

"Well, well what do we have here? The great Toshinori Yagi himself." Said Tomura who seemed to have regained his cool. Seemed being the operative word. "You know, I swore that the next time we met would be the last."

"Never in my life have I thought someone was hopeless, but you need more help than I can give you. You belong in intensive psychiatric care, boy. And that's precisely where you're headed after prison."

"Oohoohoho!" Taunted Tomura. "Did me messing with your little pupil anger you, professor? It's too bad you couldn't make it earlier. You'd have seen the look on his face. It was priceless. The kid practically destroyed himself following in your footsteps. Nice work you monster. You practically sent him to his death!"

Izuku felt Toshinori's grip tighten on his wrist and forbade himself from closing his eyes. Although he could feel his mentor's rage, the thin man didn't respond and took a deep breath.

"Young man, I believe your name was Kirishima right? Would you please take my troublesome pupil from me?"

Kirishima made a surprised face before jogging towards the pair and taking Izuku. The green-haired lad winced in pain as his cracked rib move during the transaction.

"I got you man." Said Kirishima, with a reassuring voice as he slowly helped him back behind the group of new comers, away from the confrontation. "You're gonna be fine."

After another grunt from Midorya, Sero quickly joined to assist.

"Careful Kirishima! You're hurting him. Something's wrong with his side..."

"Hmm? How can you tell?"

"Medic student remember, dumbass?" Said Sero with a reproachful tone. "Leave him to me. They're gonna need you."

Sero took Izuku and Kirishima joined Katsuki and the white-blouse-wearing trio that were keeping an eye on Tomura's gang members. Meanwhile Toshinori haden't taken his eyes off Tomura."

"I couldn't be more proud of the kind of man young Midorya has become. He's reckless, but that's how heroes are. Willing to throw themselves into situations everyone else would rather avoid and have nothing to do with. And that's exactly what he is. A hero and a loyal friend. Isn't that right, Young Bakugo?"

Katsuki was surprised to hear his name from the man. The nerd must've talked to his boss about him. But Tomura didn't give him time to meditate on the blond man's words.

"You think locking me up for a couple of years and then making me see a shrink is going to change anything? Hahahaha! You're not as bright as everyone thinks, Yagi."

"And you're only the gazilionth person to ever say that to me ever since I started working." Replied the skeleton thin man, taking off his sweatshirt. "Don't be conceited, you man-child. The second you start underestimating the power of human bonds, you're in for a well needed wake up call."

The smile on the dealer's face disappeared and he started nervously scratching his neck again. "You people... I CAN'T STAND YOU!"

Tomura threw himself on Toshinori, his knife moving through the air to slash the skinny man who agilely avoided the strikes. The rest of the HELLGATE gang took that as a signal and charged at the group. Little did they expect the white-blouse gang to counter attack.

"I may not be half as strong as I used to be..." Said Toshinori while avoiding with ease the dealer's strikes. "But it's still more than enough to take care of an ill mannered child like you!"

Snatching his wrist with snake like speed, the skinny man twisted it making him drop the knife and chopped the dealer in the throat making him loose his breath and fall to the ground coughing.

"Don't ever belittle my patients or my staff. You're a bad seed Shigaraki."

Momo jumped back to avoid a fist and hit her opponent in the stomach and then in the head with a quick spin of her staff.

"If you're going to fight, then you should be prepared for the outcome of loosing." She declared throwing back her ponytail.

Ojiro grabbed the arm of the one coming at him, and dragged him to the ground with him making Tomura's goon land heavily on his back. He then proceeded to put his arm in a lock to keep him from moving. Meanwhile, another received Iida's foot in the face. Despite his size and impressive built, the man with glasses was fast. He despised violence, but he'd make an exception this time. And it was minim punishment for what they'd done to Midorya. Another thought it was a good idea to try and attack Izuku and Sero, but unfortunately for him he encountered Kirishima's fist.

"Seriously, what kind of man attacks the wounded, you coward?! If you wanna fight come at me!"

"HEADS UP, DUMBASS!"

The red head turned around fast enough to see a fist dashing in his direction, but not to block it. But another first crashed into his Kurogiri's face and sent him off track. Katsuki then sent his elbow in his stomach that sent him to the ground.

"Thanks for the save!" He said giving a thumbs up at the singer.

But the explosive blond turned to him with murderous eyes. "YOU IDIOT! WATCH YOUR OWN BACK BEFORE GIVING A SPEECH! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOUR ASS KICKED? CAUSE I CAN DO THAT FOR YOU!"

Kirishima grinned nervously. "Sorry, I kind of felt left out with all the …. WATCH OUT!"

He threw his fist forward and it landed in the face of the guy who'd tried to hit Katsuki behind the head with an wrench. He then gave the singer a grin that meant we're even now. The sound of police sirens approaching resonated in the warehouse and very quickly a bunch of police cars arrived at the scene.

The singer understood that his condition had become a major concern for his childhood friend. To the point that even his mentor knew about it. Darn it! He'd just wanted to be left alone, not become someone else's burden. He almost chuckled as he realized how late that after thought was.

* * *

The police quickly got a hold of the gang members as Professor Yagi explained the situation. Meanwhile Sero and Momo were examining Izuku.

" This should be enough until we get you to a hospital. " Said Sero as he finished bandaging his waist. "As for your leg, you're not bleeding anymore but we'll have to wait for analysis..."

"Thank you very much." Said Izuku. "You two are Kacch- I mean Bakugo's colleagues?"

"Yep! We're the motor heads." Said Kirishima, that friendly grin never leaving his face. "So you're Midorya huh? Sorry we got to meet under these conditions but still, nice to meet you."

"Same here, Kirishima."

The black-haired woman sighed. "It's a miracle you don't have a concussion with the beating you took, Midorya."

"Yes it was reckless of you to throw yourself in the fire like that." Reproached Iida.

"They're right you know. You could have at least called one of us." Continued Ojiro. "When we heard from the professor that you were in danger we all freaked out dude."

"Where are Shouto and Mina?" Asked Izuku suddenly remembering his students. "Are they alright?"

"Calm down man." Reassured Kirishima. "After they came to fetch me, I told them to wait at the garage. Denki knows the place. I'll give a call to Aizawa. Still that's quite the coincidence that your patient was working with us. Crazy huh?"

The adults joked together to lighten the atmosphere from a few minutes ago as the officers took their statements one by one. Izuku, too tired to do small talk, looked around until his eyes fell on a certain ash blond. Katsuki was leaning against the wall, his eyes in the direction of professor Yagi. The green-haired lad thought about joining him, but his leg was hurting and it looked like the singer was in deep thought. For once, his head was clear. It'd been blurry ever since he'd been 'betrayed' by Deku. No drugs or cigarettes to distract him from his thoughts. He found himself strangely calm but his mind was blank. What could he do now? He looked towards the group of nerds to look at his childhood friend and froze when their eyes met. Izuku was looking at him with a patient glare. His green eyes said 'I'm waiting'. While Katsuki's red ones only showed confusion. Reading his explosive friend's discomfort, Izuku did the best thing he thought of and smiled. A smile that had a very simple yet crucial meaning : I am here. In other words, you can reach out. The therapist then turned back to Iida who was lecturing him still. Katsuki turned away, his expression unreadable.

A few meters away, a police officer was pushing a cuffed Tomura towards the car. But the dealer's eyes were solely on one person. Izuku. Nitro, his ace, his biggest asset... all of his empire had crumbled into tiny little pieces because one dumb brat couldn't keep his nose to himself. Scratching his neck nervously until it bled, his eyes kept throwing daggers at the therapist. If he was going to loose his empire, then the therapist was going to loose much more.

"Move it scumbag." Said the officer pushing him.

But he let out a grunt of pain when the dealer threw his elbow into his stomach. Tomura then pulled out a knife he'd kept hidden in his sleeve and dashed at lightening speed towards the singer who had his back turned.

"WATCH OUT!" Screamed out the officer too late.

Katsuki turned around too late. Tomura raised the knife and shoved the blade into the abdomen. Only not the singer's. All eyes widened and everything seemed to slow down as Izuku fell to the ground, not uttering a scream.

"DEKUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"

* * *

 **Oh oh...**

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	10. His path

**Hi guys! I am so sorry for the tardiness! I got caught up in my summer plans and well... let inspiration slip out a bit. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter nonetheless.**

* * *

It was quiet. Too quiet. The police had taken Tomura and his gang away so the small group was now in the waiting room of the hospital, where Izuku had been rushed to the ER. Iida, Kirishima and Sero had gone to the garage where the motor heads worked to go get Shouto, Mina and the others. Meanwhile, the rest was at the hospital, waiting. Everything had gone so fast. But that moment was replaying over and over in Katsuki's mind. Shigaraki behind him. The shift of the blade in the air. Deku moving faster than ever despite his wounded leg. The knife stabbing through the flesh. The soundless scream of the green haired lad. And finally, the dealer's laughter filling the night.

The singer clenched his teeth so hard he could've shattered them. His fist clenched on his laps as he was sitting in front of the ER with the white blouse wearing duo that consisted of Yaoyorozu and Ojiro. The blond therapist was leaning on the table his hands brought together, and his head resting on them. He seemed to be praying. As for the neuropsychologist, she was standing, leaning on the wall her arms crossed, looking at the entrance with a barely composed look on her face. But for Katsuki this silence was torture. He wasn't used to waiting around. He wasn't used to not be able to do anything.

" _What the hell Deku?! Damnit! What the fuck were you thinking?" He screamed after catching him, as the cops and the nerd squad were handling Tomura._

 _Deku only smiled in response, before spitting a little blood and passing out._

He had smiled. With a knife sticking out of his gut. Bleeding out. He'd still smiled. He hadn't been able to understand any of the nerd's actions until now, but Katsuki was now certain of one thing. There was no way anymore that he could deny how much the nerd cared about him. From the start, he'd wanted to help him. And what had he done? Got him stabbed by his psycho drug dealing boss. He felt his entire body start shaking and his stomach turned. He wanted to puke. It took him a few seconds before he realized that it wasn't just figuratively. He got up and quickly headed outside. He ended up in the hospital park that was empty since it was the middle of the night. And leaning against a wall, he proceeded to returning everything he'd eaten that day and threw up. Twice. Even after successfully emptying his stomach of any undigested waste, Katsuki remained leaning on the wall panting. He was so hot up there that he thought his brain was melting. Heavy drops of sweat dripped down his face and then onto the ground. To his great misery, he realized that he hadn't stopped shaking. It was like his own ribcage was closing up to chock him. The singer clenched a hand over his chest and fell to his knees, clenching his teeth. Darn it! This wasn't the time to get PAWS! Usually, it takes a month or two for the symptoms to kick in, but with Dragon Dive, it was much quicker. That shit had a special way to screw with your system. It got messed up much faster. He'd endured withdrawal before but never as intense as that. Why did he have to take that shit in the first place? Oh, right. He couldn't fucking manage his own temper! He was so focused on trying to kill the pain in his head that he didn't hear the footsteps approaching behind him.

"Young Bakugo." Said a deep yet gentle voice behind him as a hand grabbed his shoulder, startling him.

Behind him stood the skeleton thin man who'd come along with the nerd squad. He knew him because he'd seen his face in the papers. Before the singer could send him to hell, Toshinori brought up his free hand and presented Katsuki with a small reddish pill.

"Take this."

"What the hell is this crap?" Barked back the agonizing singer, struggling to breath correctly.

"It'll help calm down the symptoms." Katsuki threw him a death glare. "There's no need to play tough my boy. I've worked long enough with people like you to recognize withdrawal."

People like him, huh? So even the great Professor Yagi threw him in that category without a second thought. The singer kept glaring at him.

"Taking this pill doesn't in anyway bind you to me or the center..."

"I know that!" Growled the singer.

The experienced man took a breath and let a few silent seconds go by. The young singer in front of him was a complex individual that was hard to deal with. Izuku had told him enough for him to know. Katsuki let out painful grunt as the pain in his chest became sharper.

"If not for yourself, then take it for the friend who doesn't want you to suffer." Said Toshinori, his voice as calm as ever. "If you don't I'll have to call the hospital service and I know you don't want that."

"Damn it..." Katsuki let out with a chocked voice.

He reluctantly grabbed the pill from the professor and swallowed it whole without even needing water. Both waited a few minutes, until the singer felt that he could breath again properly. The tension in his muscles had disappeared as well as the nausea and headache. He observed his hand a moment to make sure that the shaking was gone.

"What is this thing?"

"A drug developed by my pharmaceutical labs. It's a calmer that temporarily negates the effects of withdrawal. But it's no cure. And it's only to be used for emergency." Explained Toshinori before standing back up. "Would you mind speaking with me for a moment?"

The singer wasn't sure what to reply. He certainly wasn't in the mood for a lecture. But then again what could he do besides that? First off, he damn well deserved it. This man was Izuku's mentor. The green-haired nerd admired him more than anyone else and not having a dad, Katsuki could only imagine how much that man meant to his childhood friend. And how much Izuku meant to him. Reading his silence, Toshinori led him by the shoulder to a bench of the park to get away from the smell of vomit. The singer sat, joined his hands together and looked at the ground while Toshinori sat beside him.

"From what Midorya told me, you've had quite a tough time."

At first Katsuki was surprised but quickly recovered. He should have known that this guy would speak exactly like Deku. "What of it?" He replied.

"My pupil's involvement seems to have caused you even more problems. I'm asking if you want to get out of your situation."

Katsuki clenched his teeth. "Why?"

"Because it would benefit you."

"That's not what I'm asking! Why the hell do you want to help me?"

"Because that's what I do, young man. It's my job."

"Stop being so damn fake about this!" Shouted Katsuki facing the man. "Deku got fucking stabbed because of me! And now you're trying to lick my boots? How dumb do you think I am, old man?! Say what you really want to say!"

"So you want to hear my real thoughts? Very well." Toshinori stood up and placed himself in front of the singer. "Midorya is like a son to me. He is the most kindhearted person I have ever met, despite everything that he's been through. And it breaks my heart to see him in this state. The doctors can't even tell if he'll pull through or not. So yes, I'm angry. Enraged even."

The skeleton thin man clenched his fists and Katsuki could feel the murderous aura about him. But what shook him the most was the tears that escaped the older man's eye. Despite that, he remained calm. With the back of his hand, he wiped his face before continuing.

"But if I were to blame you for it, I'd destroy everything I worked for my entire life as well as what this boy has been trying to do. He's worked himself to the bone trying to save you, despite how stubborn you were about it. To top it all off, he protected you without a second thought. Besides, you didn't stab him. Shigaraki did."

Katsuki felt the anger rise up in him again. He stood from his seat. "DAMN IT ALL! I TOLD HIM TO LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE! WHY THE HELL COULDN'T HE JUST LISTEN?"

He started panting again and when he spoke again, his voice was barely a whisper. "Why did I have to become the reason for Deku's misery?"

"Midorya believed... no, believes in you, young Bakugo. You've punished yourself enough. It's good to recognize your mistakes. But it's wrong to let those same mistakes of the past chain you for the rest of your life."

"He nearly got killed because of me! You call that a fucking mistake?!"

"Yes, I do. You're an intelligent boy. I won't teach you anything by telling you that your way of dealing with things isn't healthy. If you keep going this way, then you would have indeed wasted Midorya's efforts on you. And you're not that kind of person."

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHO I AM?" He shouted.

"I know what Midorya told me. And there's no one I trust more than him when it comes to looking past appearances. Also, no one has to be an expert psychologist to tell that you're suffering."

Suffering? Was that it? Was that what he'd been feeling this whole time? As he wasn't responding, Toshinori continued.

"You need to reach out my boy. That's the only way to reconnect and make the pain go away. Human beings weren't put in this world to be alone and suffer by themselves. No one is invincible."

Even if Katsuki had been searching for something to answer, he wouldn't have gotten the time to say it. Running footsteps made Professor Yagi turn around as he also heard his name being called.

"Professor!" Cried out Yaoyorozu. "They're...they're done..."

The three of them quickly made their way back to the waiting room, where Ojiro and the surgeon were waiting.

"What do you mean you can't tell us?" Protested the blond therapist who seemed to have lost his usual cool demeanor.

"I'm sorry, only the family of the injured can..." Began the man, clearly embarrassed by the situation.

"That boy is my son, doctor." Immediately said the professor, interrupting him. "And everyone here is a close friend. So please, don't hold back."

Skepticism was clear in the doctor's eyes, but he sighed and gave in. "Very well. He's out of immediate danger. We've managed to stop the hemorrhage and contain the damage to his liver."

Tears and a smile of relief appeared on Yaoyorozu and Ojiro's faces. The singer let out the breath he'd been holding in this whole time and without realizing it, leaned his back on the wall of the room. However, the professor was the only one who seemed to retain a serious expression and the other three realized that the doctor was not done speaking.

"Please continue."

"There was... more damage than we thought. An old head trauma not completely healed was worsened and we almost missed it. Thankfully, one of our young surgeons with good eyes decided to check..."

Katsuki heart started to accelerate and new sweat drops appeared on his forehead. "Out with it already!" Spat out the singer.

"Your son slipped into a coma. We did what we could but... we're not exactly sure of when he'll wake up. Maybe... he won't."

A cold aura of shock invaded the room. The doctor led them to the room where Midorya was sleeping, mumbling something about someone already being there. But Katsuki couldn't hear. His mind was distant, trying to process everything that he'd just been told. Deku was alive, stable... and in a coma. His mind blocked. He didn't know what to think. His brain went totally blank. They finally entered a small room where they could see Izuku through a glass window. But when they entered, someone was already there, staring at him through the glass. She turned to the group when they walked in.

"Miss Uraraka." Said Toshinori. "I'm so sorry."

"Professor Yagi..." Tears were streaming down her face and the skeleton thin man wrapped fatherly arms around her.

"I'm so sorry, my dear." Repeated the professor.

"Why?" She let out, her voice broken by the emotion. "Why did this happen?"

Toshinori didn't reply and tightened his grip on the nurse as she was sobbing. Katsuki clenched his teeth so hard he could've shattered them. Each of her cries made the weight in his chest feel heavier and heavier. The singer places a hand over his face and shut his eyes tightly.

'Deku... you fucking moron.'

Meanwhile Ochako calmed down a little under the warmth of the professor holding her. She looked over his shoulder and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw the singer. He was hiding his face behind his hand but she could guess what kind of face he was making. Yaoyorozu had called her while they were on their way to the hospital, so she knew in detail what had happened. She threw another look through the glass. Izuku looked like he was sleeping peacefully. His breathing was slow and regular. He had new bandages around his head too. The machines monitoring his state were beeping normally. Ochako closed her eyes a moment before gently pushing the professor away and making her way towards the ash blond. Everyone in the room held their breath. She stopped in front of him.

"Katsuki." She said.

He flinched when he heard her voice, and they all saw him grip his face.

"Katsuki, look at me." She said, in a voice that was trying to be firm but failed.

Again he didn't move. In fact, if one paid enough attention, they would see that he'd even stopped breathing. His nails started digging in the skin of his face. Ochako's lips quivered and tears appeared at the corner of her eyes again. She came closer, until she was only a step away from him. The singer felt a small hand gently grab the one he was covering his face with, and gently pull on it. Still he resisted, not wanting to reveal his face to her. Sensing his reluctance, she let out a plea.

"Kacchan, please!"

Her voice was broken by the sadness again. This time he let her remove his hand from his face but still avoided her eyes. The face he was presenting her was filled with misery and regret. He seemed to have gain ten years of age. He was waiting for it. For her to start screaming at him, hitting him... He wanted her to do it. He'd feel better if she did. Ochako raised her arms and placed her hands on each side of his head. Gently but firmly, she turned his head towards her until their eyes met. Hers were still filled with tears but she had a determined look on her face, something Katsuki had gotten used to seeing on Izuku's face.

"Enough, okay? Izuku... that's as far as Izuku can go for you, you understand?"

His eyes widened some more in confusion. What the hell was she telling him?

"Now you have to take care of yourself. Don't think you're going back in your hole and give up again. You're gonna get better, you hear? If not for yourself then for him. He can't help anymore, but he showed you the first steps. It's your turn Kacchan. It's your turn to fight!"

Tears dripped down her cheeks again, but that glare full of determination didn't vanish. "I'm begging you." She continued, her voice softening even more. "Don't waste what he's given to you. He went this far because he saw how much you were worth. Don't waste it, please."

This time, it was utter shock that took over the hothead's face. His mouth slightly open and no words coming out of it was proof enough of that. A sensation of exhaustion invaded him at the same time. He'd had enough. There was no understanding these people who poured their hearts and souls out for others. These people like _him_.

'Is that what a hero does, Deku?' He thought.

" _Kacchan's got the potential to bring others to the top, even if he doesn't realize it. All these people that you have trapped here in your drug empire... they can aspire to greater and better things because Kacchan's there."_ Responded the Deku of his memories.

'You're wrong. I can't.' He thought. 'I can't be like you.'

Katsuki grabbed her wrists and pulled her hands away from his face. "I'm sorry." He muttered.

Without a word he stepped out of the room but before the door closed behind him, he heard her sob again and bit his lips so hard that they bled. He walked out of the hospital as fast as he could.

* * *

 **A couple of hours later**

He kept walking and walking until he found himself back in his shitty neighborhood. In one alley, he saw a group of junkies taking injections. In another, a bunch of drunk teens fighting. And yet in another, a prostitute crying. Yeah. Shitty neighborhood indeed. The singer let his mind wander into the past. He remembered the Academy. It seemed so trivial now. The reason he left. He couldn't endure the fact that someone had gotten the best of him. It was so stupid! And now... Now his only friend had payed the price of his stubbornness. If only they'd never met, then this would never have happened.

" _You have no idea how grateful I am to have met you. Without you, I'd never be where I am today. When I say you're amazing, I mean it. You're the greatest inspiration I had. You're the reason I pushed forward. It's the truth. I was lost, weak and desperate. I wasn't fit to live where we were. You were the one who gave me something to aspire to. I found my will to become great because of you!"_

"Quit lying you damn nerd..." He muttered in response to those words..

" _Who the hell would go this far to make someone believe a lie?"_ Retorted the Deku of his memory.

"Shut up, darn it!"

He stopped in his tracks when he realized where he was. It was near the water of the docks of the old harbor next the river that passed through here. It was the place he liked the most when searching for inspiration. Because no one was there and it was calm. So he was generally free to let off some steam and let out his creativity freely. It was the same place where he'd meet with his old band to practice.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?" Said a lisping voice behind him.

One he never thought he'd hear again. Turning to the side, he hoped to find no one and that this voice was only the figment of his imagination. Because being damn insane and hearing voices right now sounded a way better option than this! But his eyes proved that he wasn't turning crazy. Standing on top of an abandoned container, dressed in jeans and a purple sweatshirt, a very short young man with strangely arranged hair was looking at him with a toothless smile.

"Sup Bakugo? It's been a while. You look as scary as ever."

"Wha... why are you here?!"

* * *

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	11. His angel

**Hi guys! Hope you're doing great! Here's the latest chapter, I hope you'll like it. Enjoy!**

* * *

"Yes, I'll go visit him soon. I'm so sorry Inko. If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate. We're with you. Yes, bye."

With those words, Mitsuki Bakugo ended her conversation with Izuku's mother and hung up her phone. After that, she remained immobile a long time, staring at the device. She couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She didn't want to believe it. Izuku was in a coma at the hospital? Inko hadn't told her the details, but it seemed that her son had gotten in trouble in the district where Mitsuki had sent him.

"Honey?" Asked her husband from the living room. He wasn't used to seeing his energetic wife in such a quiet state. "What's wrong? Who was on the phone?"

The woman turned to her husband and tears streamed down her face. "Masaru..."

The man quickly understood that whatever had happened had to do with their son. That was the only reason Mitsuki cried. It had been for the past four years. The man led his wife by the shoulder and brought her to their living room. Once they were both seated, he took her in his arms and let her sob her heart out, patiently waiting for her to calm down. When she finally did, he took her hand and Mitsuki explained everything. That she had asked Izuku for help and that he was now in a coma at the hospital.

"It's all my fault..." Said Mitsuki, squeezing her husband's hand in her's. "This never would've happened if I hadn't sent him there... I don't want to think...that Katsuki had anything to do with it. Oh God!"

"Mitsuki, calm down." Gently said Masaru, calmly.

But that was only in appearance. His insides were frozen with worry. He didn't want to believe either that their son had anything to do with Izuku's hospitalization, though the chances weren't thin. Katsuki had always been hot-headed and had a rotten personality. But never had Masaru doubted that deep down, at the root, his son aspired to do good. He wouldn't let doubt invade his mind. Until proven otherwise, he wouldn't believe that his son could've fallen so low. He was about to say so to his wife when the doorbell suddenly rang. The couple looked at each other before Masaru stood up and Mitsuki wiped her eyes. Bakugo senior opened the front door and found a round-faced girl on the other side.

"Hello, my name is Ochako Uraraka." She said bowing. "Is this the Bakugo residence?"

* * *

"Nice to see you too." Replied the shorter lisping young man before jumping off the container and approaching the singer. However, his eyes gazed at the water. "I almost didn't recognize you there. I didn't know you for being a messed up ball of guilt. D'you do something naughty with a girl that you're beating yourself up over? I've always known you were a closet perv."

Katsuki found nothing to reply. The tension in his body had tripled. He was so stiff now that it became hard to breath. He hadn't had the time to prepare for this shit. It couldn't be just a coincidence that he was here.

"Four years ago, you'd have beaten the crap out of me for that comment." Said Mineta, giving up on the taunt. "You asked why I'm here. Well, a couple of days ago, I received a call from a guy called Midoriya. He works at the Allmight Center. D'you know the place?"

"..." Still, Katsuki replied nothing.

"I went to your place but you weren't there, so I thought if I waited here long enough you'd show up. Looks like I was right. So... still haven't gotten over that story?"

"..."

"To be honest, after the accident, I thought I'd lost everything. You know how it is for us music people. If you can't play anymore, you loose your passion and stuff... Honestly, I hated you. But I hated myself most of all for having gone to stop you from kicking that guy's ass that day."

Those words brought up the guilt Katsuki had been containing to his throat, almost physically choking him. Unable to say anything, he clenched his teeth so hard together they could've shattered. For years, he'd been remorseful of what he'd done. And hearing it directly was like an extra stab in the heart. It looked like the short guy had decided to come give him a piece of his mind. But the words he said next came pouring out of his mouth before Katsuki could even think them.

"I heard... you tried to..."

"Off myself? You heard right. I'd just taken my bandages off and my hands were shaking. It hit me like a brick. I'd never play again. I couldn't take it, so I went to the closest bridge. It was early in the morning, no one was there..."

Katsuki flinched even more, and for a moment he thought he was going to puke.

"I was about to jump when this weird guy showed. At first I thought the reaper was in front of me. I mean, seriously, the guy looked like general Grievous!"

It was just like the short guy to make a Star Wars reference. At least that much hadn't changed. General Grievous? The first person that came to Katsuki's mind was the skeleton thin professor.

"He asked if I was willing to talk to him before doing anything. Didn't have anything to loose you know? The guy sat with me, gave me a beer and we talked. It's funny. I can't remember what we talked about. All I remember was turning back and going home with an appointment."

"The Allmight Center..." Muttered the singer.

"Crazy right? Never thought I'd end up going to a place for loonies and junkies. But there I was, rock bottom. I decided to give it a shot. Check this."

Katsuki forced his eyes to look at the short guy, who showed him two hands, slightly deformed by injuries. Even after four years, it seemed that the damage was still visible. Probably always will be. If it was possible for his guilt to manifest more, it would've.

"They're much more stable than before. I can still play, though not as well as I used too. A professional career is a closed path for me. But that guy showed me that it wasn't the only one there was for me. Loosing a passion is crushing. I won't say I didn't feel like shit after that happened, and to be honest part of me will always regret it. But I feel a heck of a lot better. You gotta pick up a new path. That's what the old man told me."

The short guy with weird hair turned to the singer, looking him straight in the eyes. "From the looks of it, you haven't exactly turned the page, have you?"

"Why are you here?"

"The guy who called me was worried about your ass. Apparently you've been beating yourself up over me for the past four years." An evil grin appeared on his face. "That's so sweet, by the way. I didn't know that you cared so much."

Katsuki didn't exactly control the reaction that followed. That comment earned Mineta a kick in the back that made him fall face first onto the ground. "Last I heard of you, you were dead, dumbass!"

Mineta coughed up dirt before looking up at the singer with a weak smile and a bloody nose. "Now that's more like you, boss!" He said, using the nickname he used to give his old band leader. "By the way, you can stop sending money to my folks. You've already paid back more than enough for the medic bills."

He smiled, teeth out at the singer after wiping the dirt off his clothes. But the only look Katsuki sent back was a miserable one. He was an instinctual guy. He understood things quickly, and even before that he sensed them. And what he sensed coming from Mineta was fraud. He was being fake. Unlike Deku, who was a ball of pure honesty.

"Stop fucking lying to me, you short ass punk..." He said with a low voice.

Mineta looked at him surprised, before smiling again and facing the water once more. "I should've expected that from you. You were always able to see things coming."

Picking up a small flat stone, he tossed it at the water on which it bounced before sinking. "This talk is about as awkward for me as it is for you, boss. To be honest just seeing your face throws me back at that time. And it's a part of me I want to forget. Otherwise it's hard to move on."

"Like I need you to tell me that."

"Got anything to smoke?"

It seemed Mineta had started smoking too during their time apart. Katsuki took out his pack and pulled two cigarettes and a lighter.

"I'll be quick. I've moved on from this bit of my life, boss." Again, the shorty looked at him in the eyes. "That makes you the only one still holding on to it."

The singer froze, so much that his barely started cigarette fell out of his mouth. Was he? Was he the only one tied up to this story? Had it been like that all his time? Was this what Deku'd been trying to tell him?

"Wow, never thought I'd be the one to give the genius Bakugo a reality check." Said the former keyboardist, before chuckling. "I forgave you a long time ago boss. Now, my only advice for you is to move your ass. You got some pretty awesome people watching out for you. That means you can't be that bad."

Mineta blew the smoke out of his lungs before stomping on his cigarette. "Watch out for yourself, boss. I'm rooting for you, even if it's from afar. That's what I came to say."

With that, the former keyboardist saluted and started walking away.

"Mineta." Called out Katsuki, stopping him in his tracks. For some reason, saying this one word took all his mental strength. "Sorry."

"I knew that already. You know there is one way to repay me. By taking that punch, I saved your rep. So if you do make it big out there, I'll be able to brag about how I saved your career. Hahahahaha!"

The short young man kept walking away and waved. What he left behind was a Bakugo more confused and lost than ever. Katsuki had resolved himself long ago. That he would never make up for what he'd done. That he would never pull himself out. And now... in the mere space of a month, everything he thought he was sure of shattered.

"What do I do now Deku?"

The singer really didn't like it when his head was empty. Being unable to think made him feel stupid. Without realizing he started humming. Strangely enough, he couldn't put a name on the melody and he never forgot what he sang. Again, he started walking, letting his feet lead him while he tried to remember the song. The rhythmic and steady sound of his footsteps accompanied it well.

 _There's gotta be another way out,_

 _I've been a stuck in a cage with my doubt,_

 _I've tried forever getting out on my own_.

Right. That's how it went. He just hummed the next few lines as he couldn't remember the words.

 _I don't want to be incomplete,_

 _I remember what you said to me,_

 _I don't have to fight alone._

Again, the words after that escaped him.

 _From the prison of my own pride,_

 _My God I need a hope I can't deny._

That wasn't the kind of song he performed. Sure the beat and melody weren't half bad, but the lyrics were, well, hell out of character. It didn't match him in anyway. At least that's what he would've thought before. But somehow, singing this song felt … maybe not enjoyable, but necessary. It was the only thing that filled his mind. When he looked up, he realized that he was in front of his apartment building. Climbing the stairs, he tried piecing back together the song. His mental work got interrupted when he reached his door. It was open and the lock was busted.

"Is that you Nitro?" Said a familiar masculine voice.

Kicking open the door, the singer stepped in and identified the man in front of him. He was tall and entirely dressed in black aside from a white t-shirt. He had deep purple bags under his blue eyes and spiky black hair. The newcomer was one of Tomura clients. That didn't make him fond of the insane dealer. God knew they hated each others guts more than anyone.

"The hell you doing here Dabi?"

"I was looking for the crazy bastard." He explained with a laid back tone. "I was suppose to get my stuff tonight, but I didn't so I thought I'd come kick his ass. Didn't find him at HELLGATE so I thought I'd ask you."

Great. All Katsuki needed was more trouble. Most of the time, Dabi was a lazy ass that didn't look for trouble. That was as long as he had his drugs. Even from where he was standing, the singer could see his hands shake and almost smelled the cold sweat. PAWS were kicking in.

"You wouldn't happen to know where I could find him, would you?"

"Not a clue." Carefully replied Katsuki. If he weren't careful and let on that his dealer had been arrested, Dabi would snap.

"No? That's too bad."

The junkie moved slowly, like a zombie but instead of heading for the door he walked over to the couch and crouched down next to an unconscious body laying on the floor that Katsuki just noticed. The singer froze when he recognized her. The intruder passed his free hand through her hair.

"I found her in front of your door, so I thought I'd put her to sleep for you. Is she your girlfriend?"

"No."

"But you know her, don't you?"

"What of it?"

Dabi looked at him with his dry eyes. "I heard some weird shit tonight, Nitro. Toga was passing by the old warehouses and she said she saw you and a bunch of outsiders with cops. Where's Tomura?"

"Are you deaf, you emo bastard? I already told you I don't know."

"And I think you're lying."

The junkie stood back up and flipped open a butterfly knife. It looked like he really couldn't handle the withdrawal. And to top it all off, he was a Dragon Dive junkie and like the dealer had so explicitly reminded him, Tomura was only DD provider around. Darn it all! He was already exhausted from his fight with the HELLGATE gang earlier and not having slept. He wouldn't last long against the crazy nut.

Throwing himself on the singer with a warrior-like cry, Dabi attempted to slice him. That was junkie logic for you; try to kill the guy you wanted answers from. Katsuki dodged the first strike but felt the bite of the blade in his upper arm at the second. A foot in his stomach sent him against the wall. Even if he did come up with a plan, is body was too exhausted to keep up with his mind. Clenching his teeth and his hand over his wound, he cursed.

"Where's Tomura, Nitro?" Asked Dabi once more, threateningly flipping the butterfly knife.

"If you want supplies, go to warehouse six. That's where he stashes his stuff." He said, trying to buy some time.

"You think I'm an idiot? The cops were there for a reason. Now tell me where he is before I get pissed for real."

"You need to calm down." Said a flat voice behind him as a hand landed on his shoulder.

The instant Dabi turned around, the nurse shoved a needle in the skin of his neck and emptied the content of a syringe in his system. More surprised than in pain, the junkie whipped around and slashed the air with his blade which she avoided just in time.

"You bitch!" He shouted before attacking her again.

Ochako frowned, calculating her timing before stepping out at the last second. Grabbing his wrist, she twisted it and disarmed him. Blocking his arm with hers, she used her whole weight to bring him to the ground. With the agility of a cat, she put his arm in a lock and held him down with her knee on his back. He tried struggling, but a little pressure on his already twisted arm dissuaded him. He grunted in pain and panted.

"Let me go, dammit! I need my stuff!"

"Easy there." She said, never loosening her grip, but her voice... it was like she was talking to a child. "You'll be good in a moment. I promise."

Dabi kept struggling, unable to withstand the pain of the spasms and she kept whispering comforting words. Finally, after thirty seconds of painful sounds and shaking, his breathing slowed down and his body relaxed. Ochako smiled.

"Better right? Rest while you can."

As if she commanded him, he closed his eyes and passed out. Katsuki approached them, bewildered by what had happened before his eyes. Grabbing a pillow from the couch, she set it under the head of the sleeping junkie. Then, the nurse looked up at the singer and smiled.

"Sorry for barging in like that." She apologized, in a way that reminded him of Deku.

Almost immediately, he looked away avoiding her gaze. "What are you doing here, round-face?"

Her smile vanished and she went to grab him by the arm and pulled him with her to the couch. He didn't resist and sat next to her. While looking through a backpack, she asked him to remove his jacket. The singer didn't protest, knowing that she wanted to look at his cut. Feeling that the silent was too awkward, Katsuki asked.

"What the hell d'you give him anyway?"

"A calmer made by Allmight Pharmaceutical labs. It's an immediate solution for PAWS. Mixed with a little anesthetic."

So basically the liquid version of that pill Yagi had given him and knock out juice. "Do you always carry that stuff around?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? I'm actually clinically paranoiac." After another silence, she added. "That was a joke."

Good to know he wasn't the only one feeling awkward. She was as uneasy as him. The nurse took a breath and looked at his arm. Yep, stitching needed. Taking out her kit, she started cleaning and disinfecting the wound. To keep himself from accidentally making eye contact, he glanced at Dabi.

"Are you just gonna leave him here or what?"

"His vitals are stable, he can wait here." She replied without hesitation. "I'll probably have to call an ambulance after, but for now he can sit tight. I came here for you. Besides, sleeping on the floor is minim punishment for knocking me out."

"So all that stuff you brought was for me?" She sweat dropped and gave him an apologetic smile. "You're freaking scary, you know that?"

The comment got snorting laugh out of her. "Did I scare you, tough guy? Sorry but I need to give you a shot."

"Tch." He growled.

After giving him the anesthetic, she prepared her tools. Meanwhile, Katsuki replayed in his mind the scene from earlier, when she'd taken down Dabi. She was good and her moves looked like Deku's. The nerd wasn't lying when he said that all the staff at the center learned physical containment. Given that they probably had incidents like this one on a daily basis, it wasn't that surprising. He realized just how strong they were. And not just physically.

Ochako's movements were almost automatic. She'd stitched up people more times then she could count. Her focus was on the man next to her. His eyes were so empty, so miserable. What could she do? How could she reach him?

'Izuku... what do I do?'

Carefully, she started stitching. "Actually, there's another reason I have this bag." She said, getting his attention. "Every week, the center sends a team into poor districts of the city. We heal and talk to people who need it and sometimes, we manage to bring some of them to the center. Most are junkies, but there are all sorts of troubled people out there."

He didn't reply and she didn't look up to see if he was. But Katsuki had his ears wide open.

"It was Izuku's idea. It took him a year to convince the Center's board to let him try it. And it worked better than ever. That's how we found Mina and her gang."

The singer remembered the therapist's words again. About him being able to pull people out of their darkness and bring them to the top. But that was what he did. Not Katsuki. Anyone looking at him could tell. So why was she here? Just to stitch him up? No way in hell.

"You should hate me..." He muttered.

"What?"

"Don't pretend like you didn't hear me. Why are you here?"

Ochako opened her mouth to answer and then closed it, not sure of what to say. Instead, she continued her stitching. The lack of response irritated him, but he just looked down.

"It's not like I'll be pissed at you. Just tell me why."

The nurse made the final knot and cut the extra string before putting everything back in place. "I don't hate you, Katsuki. The only person I'm struggling not to hate right now is Shigaraki."

"Why?"

"Hate brings nothing. Not to me and not to Izuku."

"Not what I meant. Why don't you hate me?"

Putting her bag aside, the brown haired girl brought her hands together. "You and I Katsuki... we're kind of alike."

That comment left him speechless. In what world, in what reality were they the slightest bit alike? She read his face quite easily and pulled up her sleeve to reveal her inner elbow. The singer's eyes widened when he saw bleu dots left from unclean injection needles. From the looks of it, they were a few years old already.

"I'll spare you the details but, I made a mistake in my life, following a guy who could've been the death of me. If someone hadn't been there to give me the chance I needed to get back on my feet, I'd never have gotten the willpower to do it alone. I don't want to take away your chance." She paused for a moment before continuing. "I could hate you. But in that case, I'd have to hate all the people Izuku put himself in harm's ways for. You're really not the first. He's just that kind of stubborn guy."

The word escaped his mouth before he could stop it. "A hero."

"Yeah, exactly. You just have..."

"I can't." He interrupted, looking her dead in the eyes this time. "He should've known better than to expect things from me. There's no way I can be like that. I'm not a hero and I sure as hell can't become one."

"Did you think... that that's what he wanted from you?"

This time, the singer looked at her when he heard the sincere surprise in her voice. Unbeknownst to him, the young woman realized at that moment just how much Katsuki admired him. Izuku had reached him already. And he didn't even know it. Ochako felt her face heat up and a flow of tears escaped her eyes.

"H-hey, what are you..."

Then she started laughing at the same time and he became even more confused. "Did you just go insane all of the sudden?"

"Nobody is asking you to become Izuku, you idiot." It took a moment for her to regain her composure and throw him a serious look. "He just wanted you to be the best Katsuki. For yourself and no one else. Because he knew. Inside of you somewhere, there's an amazing guy. He wanted you to bring him out."

Silence filled the atmosphere again, but this time, it wasn't heavy or uncomfortable. The singer stayed frozen for a long time, staring at the ground, eyes wide open in shock. He was done thinking. His mind was empty of thoughts. But the heavy feeling in his chest was gone. Bringing a hand to his face, he covered his eyes.

'That easy, huh? Genius, my ass.'

Worried by his stillness, Ochako stood up and knelt down in front of him. "Katsuki?"

"Hey round-face." He said, never removing his hand. "Who is it? That guy you're talking about?"

The nurse thought for a moment and said what she thought was the most appropriate answer. "Well... Izuku calls him Kacchan."

The first rays of the sun pierced the horizon and started brightening the room. And at that exact moment, a silent tear streamed down the singer's face before falling on the ground. Ochako decided to let her gut feeling dictate her and wrapped her arms around his head.

"I'll help you. I'll help you find him, I promise." She swore as new tears escaped her own eyes.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Scolded one of the nurses to her colleague that was staring at their newest patient. "We have other patients to tend to."

"Sorry, it's just..." Replied the woman, looking at Izuku.

"What? I know he's young, but it's not the first person in a coma you've seen."

"That's not it. Look at him... It's like he's smiling in his sleep."

* * *

 **The song is On my own by Ashes Remain. Listen to it, it's great!**

 **PLEASE REVIEW**


	12. When heroes rise

**Hi guys! First off, thank you for reading all the way up till now! Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. So I hope with all my heart that you'll enjoy this last chapter!**

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

That sound was annoying. Just like his wake up alarm, only much more high pitched. But it was familiar. Where had he heard it again? At the Center maybe? In any case, familiar or not it was annoying. He definitely couldn't sleep peacefully with that sound around. So he opened his eyes and shut them again almost immediately. The light was so intense. So he blinked, little by little getting used to the aggressive lighting. The ceiling was white, and he was in a bed with white sheets. The medical branch of the Center? Turning his head to the side, he saw a blue sky out the window. What a beautiful day. He took a deep breath, as if to inhale the outdoor air. His eyes looked lower. Sitting in a chair, under the window, eyes closed was Ochako, sleeping peacefully.

"Ochako..."

To his surprise, his voice was so quiet he barely recognized it. For some reason, pulling himself up took a lot of effort on his part. He coughed a couple of times to clear his throat before calling out to her again. This time, she slowly opened her eyes and rubbed them before seeing him.

"Oh, Izuku. You're awake. Do you need somethi..." Her eyes suddenly widened and she stared at him for a long time. She then slapped her hands on her face and then looked again. When she saw him just smiling awkwardly at her, her eyes filled with a river of tears.

"IZUKU!" She exclaimed throwing herself in his arms. "I knew it! I knew you'd wake up!"

The nurse felt him flinch in pain at her contact so she quickly released him. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"N-no trouble." He replied despite the painful vibrations traveling throughout his body. Had she always been this strong? He brought his hand to his head as he felt dizzy. "Ow..."

Quickly putting on her on-the-job face, Ochako straightened up and checked the monitors. She verified that his vitals were stable. She then grabbed a small torchlight and checked his pupil reaction to the light while asking.

"What's your name?"

He knew the drill, though he wasn't used to being on the end of the interrogated patient. "I-Izuku Midorya."

"Do you have any relatives?"

"Just my mother, Inko Midorya."

"Where do you work?"

"I'm a therapist and a councilor at the Allmight Rehabilitation Center."

"Name a few of your colleagues."

"Tenya Iida, Momo Yaoyorozu, Mashirao Ojiro..."

"Favorite food?"

"Katsudon."

"Girlfriend?"

"Ochako Uraraka."

After discreetly letting out a sigh and finishing her check up, the round-faced woman straightened up and smiled as her eyes watered again. "You're fine. You're absolutely fine." Then her face twisted in sadness and she started sobbing. "You scared me you idiot! Don't you ever do this to me ever again, you hear! I swear if it weren't for you being hospitalized, I would Detroit slap the hell out of you!"

His mind was still foggy and not everything was clear. But he knew that something bad had happened. Something bitter pinched his heart and he moved to stand up and hug her, but the instant he tried to pull himself to his feet, his muscles gave in almost immediately and he fell right back down. Bringing up his hands, he saw they were shaking. A glance at his legs revealed how skinny they were and trembling more than a newborn foal's. Then he realized that he kept putting his hands on the side of his stomach. An image flashed in his mind.

"Knife... I was stabbed."

"Yes. By Tomura Shigaraki."

"Tomura...Shigaraki..." A swarm of pain invaded his mind and he covered his eyes with both hands. The round-faced nurse knelt in front of him and put her hand on his knees. "It's alright Izuku. Don't rush things. It's all going to come back gradually. Give it a little time."

"Ochako... what happened to me?"

The nurse wiped the remaining tears off her face, and took a deep breath. "Stay calm, alright? You were in a coma for a very long time."

"A coma?" Repeated the therapist, failing to see the link. "I was stabbed in the stomach..."

"Yes, but you also got beat up pretty badly. You worsened your concussion and thank goodness someone was able to notice the internal bleeding. They operated just in time but you slipped."

His heart was beating faster. He didn't want to hear the answer to this next question, but he had to know. "How long?"

"Thirteen months."

The instant the words left her mouth and reached his ears, all his muscles contracted at once sending new waves of pain throughout his body. His breathing accelerated as did his heartbeat and he wrapped his arms around himself. Sensing the panic rising, Ochako grabbed the cover of the bed and tossed it over his back and head before facing him again, hands on his face.

"Easy Izuku. Breath in, breath out. Slowly." She mimicked the instructions until their breathing were in tune. "It's alright. Everything is alright. You're fine. Everyone is fine."

"Everyone is fine..." He repeated, closing his eyes and keeping his breath rhythmic like hers.

After a few minutes, it was all natural and the young man opened his eyes again and looked at her big brown eyes, round face, and that beautiful smile he loved on her. She hadn't changed at all. But that was the outside. What had happened while he was sleeping? Putting his hands on hers, he started shaking again. Suddenly, he was so afraid.

"Ochako... I'm... lost. Have you... are you..."

Instead of letting him finish, the nurse closed the gap between them and kissed him on the lips. In an instant, his worry vanished and he kissed her back, taking in the energy and reassurance she was breathing in him. She was still his. After thirteen month, she'd never moved from his side. He could've cried out of happiness. When she pulled away, she stood back up but kept his hand in hers.

"I'll have to schedule you for physical rehab. But what do you say I get you something to eat first?"

Just as she said that, his stomach growled loudly. So he was more than happy to let her feed him a little.

* * *

After a slow week of physical rehab, Izuku was able to walk with the help of crutches. According to Doctor Shuzenji, a sweet old lady dubbed Recovery Girl who was the head of the Medical Branch of the Center, his body would take a few months to completely readjust. But as far as the after-effects of the coma went, he was on his way to a full recovery. Though his body needed more work, his mind had started to clear up little by little like Ochako had said. But for some reason he hadn't dared ask her about it. The fact that she hadn't even mentioned the singer's name in front of him ever since he woke up gave him a bad feeling. And at the moment, he felt like he was in no condition to take any bad news. His head was still too blurry and not used to overthinking. So he himself had left the subject alone as he tried to focus on his recovery. Though it didn't leave his mind. Ever.

Inko had been the first person aware of Izuku's awakening. She'd rushed there the same day, the instant Ochako called her. It frightened the young therapist how much weight she lost in the past year. She looked even thinner than when he was a kid. She'd hugged him and only released him when the doctors told her that he needed more rest. Ochako had warned the others but until now, none of them had been allowed to visit. Recovery Girl was afraid it would be too overwhelming for him and he thanked her for it. The only other one was Momo for his head scans. Now he felt better and he could move around.

"Well are you ready?" Asked his girlfriend, even more excited than he was.

"Ready as I'll ever be." He replied, smiling.

Slowly, at his pace, they walked throughout the hallways, where they came across old colleagues that congratulated him for his recovery and new faces that whispered to each other when seeing him.

"You're a popular case among the newbies." Explained Ochako. "Patients and staff."

"That bad, huh?"

"Bad? Izuku, you're a hero to everyone here! Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the board wanted to make a statue of you in the yard."

'I hope not.' Thought the green-haired man, sweat-dropping. He glanced around. Everything still looked the same, aside from the new people. But he was too smart to think nothing had changed. Having Ochako with him was a blessing. He didn't know who she was taking him to see first. But even if he was happy, the nervousness wouldn't disappear. The nurse led him to the garden of the Center where the patients and the staff could relax when on break or used it for certain activities. Izuku spotted Ojiro giving a judo class. He smiled but they didn't dare disturb him. Further, Iida was giving a math support class. His concept of taking a break hadn't changed. But it had a lot of success amongst their younger patients who still attended school. For some, it was far more preferable to study here than to be at home. The councilor saw him, smiled and after saluting him with a nod, returned to his class. As diligent as ever. Izuku followed Ochako wondering who she was taking him to if it wasn't his closest colleagues. Suddenly, she led him off the trail and headed towards a group of two people sitting in the grass, their backs turned to them. One was a girl with pink dyed hair, the other, a boy with brown hair that used to be dyed two colors.

"Mina, Shouto. Someone's here to see you." Called out Ochako.

Both teens turned around and jumped on their feet when they saw Izuku. Again, he got stunned. Shouto was tall. Much taller than him now. Of course. They were both junior high schoolers now. Mina brought her hands to her mouth and her face reddened in happiness. Both hurried forward until they were a foot away from him.

"Mr Midorya!" Let out Shouto, smiling as well. "I can't believe you're awake."

"It's so good to see both of you." Said Izuku, still not over the initial shock. "You've grown up so much. I barely recognize you."

"Sir, can I please hug you?" Said Mina, who was in tears.

Before he could even reply, she threw her arms around him and squeezed him against her. Still she was careful not to hurt him. Once more the therapist smiled until she released him.

"So what are you two up to? I take it you finished your rehab so why are you here?" He asked.

"I'm on a part time internship with Mr Iida." Explained Shouto, and just with that, Izuku understood even before the two-faced boy said it. "I'm going to become a therapist. And if possible I'd like to work here."

Ochako laughed. "He interns here every chance he has. What is it, your fifth time now?"

"Amazing."

There was no other word to describe the glee and pride Izuku was feeling. Truly, they'd started from the bottom, climbed all the way to the top and just kept going towards the sky. "What about you Mina?"

The girl scratched the back of her head and smiled nervously. "Nothing that interesting. I go to school and my grades are average thanks to Mr Iida. But I'm trying to get into film school. Not sure to do what yet, but it seems interesting."

"Fair enough." Said Izuku. "Do you have any news on the others?"

"Denki is still part timing at the Aizawa garage with the motor heads. Grades wise, he's about as good as me." Said Mina, laughing. "Tsu put her brain to use and I think she wants to join the marine when she's done with school. She's working really hard."

"What about Shinsou?"

"No news from him." Said Shouto. "Last I heard he disappeared after graduating. Though when he finished his rehab, he told us he had something planned. Didn't say anything more though."

"I see... Well, I hope he's doing well."

Ochako then placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Now there's someone here to see you Izuku."

The green-haired therapist turned around, slowly given his stability necessitated the crutches. And his eyes widened in shock when he saw who was coming their way. Even more skeleton thin than before, moving in a wheelchair and plugged to an IV, the professor still had that bright smile on his face. When he approached Izuku saw the watered blue eyes of his mentor glowing with happiness. But he didn't know how to react. Of course, the creator of the Allmight Center's health had been deteriorating for the past five, well, six years now. And with his refusal to stop working, it only helped the progress. On one hand, the young therapist was frustrated from having lost a year of his mentor's slowly slipping time. On the other, his heart throbbed with joy at his presence.

"Midorya, my boy." Said the man who seemed on the verge of tears. "Thank God. Thank God you

are here."

When the blond man opened his arms to him, something broke inside Izuku. The happiness and sadness he was feeling tore through him like a knife and dropping his crutches he let himself fall into his mentor's arms.

"Welcome home my boy."

A father welcoming his son back. How could anyone else describe this moment? The bond they shared beat any of blood relations. After a moment, the two released each other and Ochako returned his crutches.

"Sorry for causing you so much trouble, Professor." He said, having trouble maintaining the tears in.

"You better be, young fool. But I knew what I was signing up for when I made you my pupil, my boy. And as it turns out, I couldn't be any prouder of you."

That was too much to keep in. The green-haired therapist clenched a hand over his heart and tears streamed down his face. And just like his mentor had taught him, he smiled widely.

"I'm back. Thank you, all of you."

* * *

"Guys, I don't understand where you're taking me."

Izuku had just been released from the hospital, and the instant he'd stepped foot out, his friends and girlfriend had found it necessary to kidnap him by forcing him into a car. Sitting in the back between Iida and Ochako while Ojiro drove and Momo occupied the passenger seat, the therapist was more confused than ever. Truth be told, he'd wanted to spend the evening with Ochako. His fuzzy mind had finally settled properly and he wanted to talk to her about Katsuki.

"Oh come on, don't play dumb." Said Ojiro. "You officially came back from the dead and you don't expect us to celebrate? I thought you were smarter than that."

"Then why won't you all tell me where we're going?"

"It's a surprise. Personally, I would tell but Uraraka ordered us to keep our mouths shut."

"And you better!" Threatened the nurse glaring at him in the rearview mirror. "This is my surprise. You're all just crashing."

"You didn't think we were gonna miss it right?" Retorted the judo therapist. "I mean, it's not every day we get an opportunity like this!"

The nurse sighed. "True. But don't you spill."

"Fine, fine."

Knowing Ochako, no one would give a hint of where they were going if they valued their dignity. So Izuku slumped back in his seat and looked outside. He could walk using only one crutch now which was great improvement. But still he'd wished he could've had some time to speak with his girlfriend. Ever since his mind had cleared up and he could remember everything, he'd wanted to know what had become of his childhood friend. Not only Ochako but everyone around me had avoided the subject. So he promised himself that after this, he would demand a clear answer and wouldn't budge until he got it. For now, he would just let her and his crazy friends drag him to whatever party they had planned for him. They had all patiently looked over him while he was out, he owed them that at least.

"Darn it!" Cursed Ojiro. "There's so much traffic. Come on, move it!"

Indeed, outside cars were honking at each other and even pedestrians crossed in the middle of the streets. They were in the middle of the City, and when Izuku glanced out to see where they were, he saw the Hosu's Convention Center. There was a mass gathering of people there and guards at the entrance. Looking up, he saw posted signs on the building's walls. It looked like there was a show tonight. That made him think of his friend again. What had happened to him? If his friends refused to speak about it, it couldn't have been good. Ojiro punching the wheel made him jump and brought him back to reality.

"This won't work. We'll be late." The judo therapist turned to the nurse. "Ochako, how about you two get off here and walk? It'll be much faster than this. Let's meet up after."

"Okay." She replied before turning to him. "Izuku, I need you to wear this."

With that, she pulled a night mask out of her bag. Without giving him time to react, she put it around his head and obscured his vision.

"Hmm Ochako..."

"Trust me. You need it for the surprise. Come on."

Shaking his head and sighing again, Izuku let the nurse lead him out of the car. It seemed that she hadn't lost her stubbornness. Having a terrible sense of direction, he wasn't able to tell which direction she was taking him, but he could hear a lot of people around. They walked slowly at his pace again and it seemed that they were walking away from the crowd. Ochako remained quiet but he could hear her making quick impatient steps. He secretly hoped that whatever she had planned wasn't too extravagant. Though that wasn't her style, she might have gone overboard for this special occasion. She suddenly stopped.

"Tickets and ID please." Asked a man.

"Here you go."

"Alright, come right in. The elevators are at the end of the hallway on your left."

'Elevators? Where are we?' Wondered the blindfolded man.

Again Ochako led him and they got on the elevator. While they rode, Ochako looked at her boyfriend. He hadn't said a word for a while, and did she know him for being a blabber-mouth borderline conspiracy theorist when he was in a confusing situation. Slightly worried, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, are you alright? I know you told me you'd be okay for the evening, but maybe you're too tired for this."

"No! That's not it at all!" He exclaimed frantically. "I promise. I'm really glad you're doing all of this for me, honest!"

"Then what is it? You're spacing out a lot."

"It's just... I've been thinking a lot about Kacchan. No one's said a word to me about him ever since I woke up. I just want to know what happened. It doesn't matter if it's bad, I just need to know."

The nurse remained quiet for a long moment and thought very hard about what to say next before speaking again. "Izuku... That guy... there's no point in going after him anymore."

The way she said it made his insides shift uncomfortably. It took a great effort to ask this. "What... do you mean by that?"

"Look, I promise. I'll tell you everything after this." She said that, as she removed the night mask and looked at him straight in the eyes, her hand on his cheek. "For now, just enjoy yourself, alright?"

He could trust her, he knew he could. So he smiled at her honesty. "Alright."

The elevator stopped and he followed Ochako to what looked like the very top bleachers from the concert hall of the convention center. These were the seats reserved for VIPs. He dared not ask how much she paid for them. Now he understood why they said they'd meet up the others later; they were probably somewhere else in the audience. The whole room was filled to the max. On the set, there was a full set of drums, guitars and microphones.

"So can you tell me now what we're watching?" He asked, trying to get his mind off the earlier topic.

"They're called Ignite. In six months, they got more popularity than any other band in Japan. They're amazing! All the teens at the center are super into it. I wanted to check it out and maybe put you up to speed on today's music."

"I see." He said only half paying attention.

The lights suddenly went off and the fans cheered in the dark. Someone came upstage and saluted the fans who cheered louder, but Izuku wasn't listening. He was miles away, incapable of focusing on what was going on. What had she meant by 'there's no point in going after him anymore'? What could've happened? Had he ran away and disappeared? Had he gone through with his original plan? The thought alone made Izuku want to vomit, and he shook his head to get the negativity out. If it had been that extreme, she would've told him? Wouldn't have she? The loud clapping and even louder cheering of the room pulled him out of his daze and he tried to focus his attention on the stage. Five shadows were discernible now. One of them, the keyboardist, saluted the crowd with a short speech and then light illuminated the stage, briefly blinding them.

 _Down a pit of emptiness, more and more I fell_

 _I hear the screams calling through the flames of hell_

 _Surrounded by darkness, the world wants me to quit_

 _Breaking my body, tearing it to bits_

His voice reached his ears and Izuku's eyes widened in shock. Rising from his seat, forgetting to grab his crutch, the therapist almost fell over the railing. Up on that stage, singing a song he didn't know, was his childhood friend.

 _In the fog of anguish, voices will call my name_

 _The demons inside won't vanish, there's no way_

 _But try as they may, rotting the core of my veins_

 _It's already to late, I've broken my chains!_

Unlike the times where he'd seen him perform at HELLGATE, his eyes were looking up and sparked with life and excitement. A smile decorated his face as well. Granted a smile that could make babies cry but a smile nonetheless. This was the only way the ash blond knew how to smile. The fans were frantically cheering, shouting as loud as they could.

 _Shout out to the flames_

 _The pain makes me feel alive_

 _Shout out to the voices_

 _They allowed me to strive_

 _To the demons in my head_

 _You start up my blaze_

Izuku didn't even realize that a smile had stretched across his own face. The heavy weight he'd been carrying suddenly flew off his shoulders. And he turned to look at Ochako who had kept her eyes on him since the beginning. The nurse approached him and hugged while resting her head on his shoulder.

"You did it, Izuku." She said, as best she could over the noise of the hall. "You saved him."

Too happy to be able to say anything, the green-haired therapist turned to her and kissed her intensely. And he prayed that this was truly reality and that he wasn't just still in a coma, dreaming.

The rest of the evening went in a spirit of glee and partying. The couple enjoyed the music and the songs. Izuku didn't have to be told to know that Katsuki had written all of them. The themes had greatly altered since HELLGATE. It'd gone from feeling trapped, loosing it to breaking through and winning. This was better than anything he'd ever hoped for. When the concert ended and the crowd was slowly exiting the building, the two of them stayed in their seat longer. The nurse was happy to see that joy was still visible on her boyfriend's face.

"Thank you Ochako." He said.

"I didn't do anything, really. Once he made up his mind, he only climbed uphill. In three months time, he was done with his therapy. At first he came to see you almost every day. Then work started to take off and it became less frequent. But I still gave him news."

"It's fine. I'm glad." Stated Izuku standing up. "Should we go meet the others?"

"Not just yet." She replied, grabbing his arm to make him sit back down. "There's one more thing."

With that, she took out her phone and started texting really quickly. When she was done with Izuku, she asked him what he wanted to do once he'd be fully recovered.

"Honestly, I want to start working again as soon as possible. But the Professor won't let me anytime soon..."

"And he's right. You need to get back into shape. How do you expect to handle violent patients when you're in this state? You need meat on your bones and to pick up training Mister."

That made him sighed. "I know. It's just coming from him, it's a little irritating. He's in way worse shape then me, and yet he doesn't pause."

"Well, perks of being the chairman I guess." She said, shrugging. "Someday, you'll have that privilege, you know."

Her eyes became sad all of a sudden and she looked down. "Ochako?"

"You and Professor Yagi, you're exactly the same. Stubborn, determined... But I guess that's just how heroes are. I've accepted that a long time ago, even though you still scare the hell out of me sometimes."

"Ochako, I'm sor..."

The door leading to the VIP seats suddenly bursted open. "Hey, Uraraka! What do you want? I'm tired as hell and I still have work! This better be import..."

Izuku turned around and the childhood friends found themselves face to face. The two of them paralyzed. Izuku because he hadn't anticipated that, and Katsuki, judging from his face, most certainly because he hadn't been aware of his awakening. Ochako stood up.

"Izu, I'll be waiting for you at the entrance. You two have some catching up to do."

None of them answered, and the nurse walked away, shutting the door behind her. But even after she was gone, the long silence remained. The green-haired therapist was the first to break it by standing up.

"H-hi Kacchan."

The singer didn't reply, but walked closer to the therapist and threw his fist in the face. Not strong enough to knock a teeth out but enough to hurt him and send him right back down in his seat. "OW! What was that for?"

"FOR USING YOURSELF AS A SHIELD, YOU ABSOLUTE MORON! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, FREAKIN' SUPERMAN?!" The angry man then shifted his body towards the stage. That felt good. He'd waited over a year to do this. "Took you long enough."

"You didn't have to punch me..." Replied the therapist doing his best to smile despite the pain in his jaw. Katsuki's way of showing his concerns hadn't changed which was a good sign. "Congratulations. You've heard this before, but your songs are amazing. Ignite is a really cool name by the way. Much better than Nitro."

"Shut up, you damn nerd." Replied the singer sitting down.

Izuku expected him to pull out a lighter but he just gazed in the distance. "You're not smoking?"

"I quit. It would have messed up my voice. Besides, they just pumped the poison out, I'm good on drugs. Including legal ones."

"I see."

Again, silence fell on them and they just stared at the people exiting the building. Fortunately for Katsuki, they were high enough so that no one could see them without breaking their necks looking up.

"How long have you been awake?" Asked the blond, still avoiding meeting eyes.

"Three weeks."

The singer clenched his teeth. "Tch. Damn round-face. Why didn't she tell me?"

"She didn't tell me about you either until we came here." Said Izuku, putting himself in her shoes. "She probably wanted to surprise both of us. I guess it worked on both ends."

"I fucking hate surprises." He growled. "Guess I should've known. It's the first time she asked me for VIP tickets. I was too busy to pay attention."

"Wait, you give them to her for free?" Said Izuku surprised.

"She and Yagi are always on my guest list." Explained the singer, he then froze when he saw the glare Izuku was throwing him. "What the hell are you looking at?"

"Kacchan, have you been hitting on my girlfriend while I was comatose?"

A look of utter shock mixed with anger took over Katsuki's face, because no matter what emotion he was displaying, anger was never far behind. "Hell no! What the fuck Deku?!"

"It just feels really weird." Continued Izuku, his suspicious glare still on. "It's a valid concern."

The singer resisted the strong urge to punch him again and instead proceeded to yell at him. "Okay, now you're pissing me off! I'm not interested in round-face that way! If you wanted to keep an eye on her, you shouldn't have gone in a coma in the first place!"

Shouting nonsense when angry, that was the Kacchan Izuku remembered. Truth be told he wasn't worried, he trusted Ochako. But if she was on the guest list, it meant there had to be some link between them. And that's what really interested him, but before he could even ask, Katsuki spoke.

"I do it cause it's no skin off my back and I owe her, that's why! Don't get weird ideas in your screwed up brain, dumbass!"

"You owe her, huh?" Said Izuku smiling to himself. It looked like she had been the last push the singer had needed to get back on the right track while he was away.

"I ain't stealing your angel."

"Hm? What was that?"

"Nothing."

"You said the professor was also on your guest list. Why?"

"He was in charge of me in my time in the loony bin. Got to hand it to the guy, he sure knows how to talk to people."

"Can you please not call the Center a loony bin?" Muttered Izuku. "We're a rehab center, not a psychiatric institute."

"To normal people, that's the same thing. There isn't much difference between a junkie and a schizophrenic."

The therapist raised an eyebrow. "Now you're calling yourself normal?"

"Shut up! Compared to you, I'm the most balanced person in this whole damn world!"

Pulling up a plastic bag Izuku hadn't noticed, Katsuki took out two cans of beer. That reminded both of them of when Izuku first came to HELLGATE, looking for him. Again, they stayed quiet, drinking and reminiscing. The heavy atmosphere was gone. That uneasiness Izuku had sensed coming from the singer a year ago had completely vanished. The chains had been broken. He was free and from the looks of it, he was back to that pompous, egotistic self. Indeed, nobody is perfect.

"So what now, Deku?" Finally asked Katsuki while crushing his empty can.

"Now? Well, now that I don't have to babysit your cranky butt anymore, I can focus on my work again."

Of course that answer only served to trigger the singer's very short temper. "SAYS THE GUY WHO WAS IN A COMA FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR!"

"Haha! Don't get mad Kacchan. But I don't plan on going anywhere. I belong at the Center. What about you?"

A grin stretched out on his face. "Got anymore stupid question? We're on our way to the top. I'm gonna make this the fucking music of the century! You just watch me! I'll save you a seat to come watch me win!"

Sweat-dropping at the comment, the therapist shook his head. "That ego of yours still needs work..." Even so, he was glad. "You sure came a long way. I guess I don't have to worry about you anymore."

Tossing his can in the trash, the green-haired man stood up and grabbed his crutch. He looked at the singer and smiled at him. "Keep on winning Kacchan. That's what you do best."

"Like I need a nerd like you to tell me that." Growled in response the blond before looking at his watch. He had to get back to work soon and then he'd promised the motor-heads he'd have a drink with them.

Approaching his friend, the freckled-face extended a hand. "If you ever need me, you know where to find me."

"Not gonna move from your miracle hole are you? I suppose this nerd fest is the best place for a dork like you." It sounded like he was mocking, belittling him even, but that was just Kacchan. Nonetheless, the singer stood back up and grabbed his friend's hand. "I'd tell you to watch your nerd ass, but knowing you, it'd be a waste of words. Uraraka has her work cut out for her."

Izuku found it unnecessary to reply and just shook his head before heading towards the elevators. But as he passed his childhood friend, the singer called out to him one last time.

"Hey Deku!"

"Yeah?"

Katsuki wasn't looking at him, he'd probably loose face if he did. Prideful bastard that he was. Saying thank you would be so out of character and so damn difficult for him. So as usual, his clever brain found of an alternative.

"Keep being a stubborn idiot and saving other idiots. That's what **you** do best, nerd face."

It took a moment for the therapist to really take in the fact that Katsuki had complimented him. When he finally processed it, he smiled and returned him his own answer.

"Like I need you to tell me that."

And with that, they shared a gesture they hadn't executed since they were little kids back in their crappy neighborhood. A simple fist bump.

After Deku had left, Katsuki stayed up there a little while longer. This day had gone so much better than he was expecting. And that was saying something because he never expected one of his concerts to turn out bad. The weight on his shoulder disappeared. Now that Deku was awake, there was no need to hold back anymore. No limits, no regrets. He could storm in the big world with his music and he was going to rock this generation. Opening a second can of beer, he lifted it towards the sky as a toast to his nerdy friend who'd revived his dream.

'Reaching out, heh? It so simple it's stupid.'

 **The end**

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 **Thank you everyone so much for your support all this time! Kudos to all!**

 **I'd love it if you could leave a comment with your final impressions! THANK YOU!**


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